


On The Edge

by AkiieLoo



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alpha Arima, Alpha Ayato, Alpha Eto, Alpha Ghouls, Alpha Haise, Alpha Kaneki, Alpha Kaneki Ken | Sasaki Haise, Alpha Kirishima Touka, Alpha Kuro, Alpha Nishio, Alpha Touka, Alpha Yoshimura, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alpha/Omega/Alpha, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Beta Akira, Beta Amon, Beta Seidou, Beta Suzuya, Different Kaneki's, F/F, F/M, Ghouls, Haise Kaneki, Haise/Hide, Humans, Kuro Kaneki - Freeform, Kuro/Hide, Kuro/Hide/Shiro - Freeform, M/M, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mating Rituals, Mpreg, Multi, Omega Hide, Omega Kimi, Omega Nagachika Hideyoshi, Omega Yoriko, Omega/Omega, Oneshot Kaneki Ken, OneshotKen/Hide, Possessive Behavior, Pregnant Hide?, Protectiveness, Shiro Kaneki - Freeform, Shiro/Hide, World that has ended, almost no humans left, alpha shiro, closed off humans, ghouls vs humans, humans on the edge of extinction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-03-09 08:45:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 92,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13477851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkiieLoo/pseuds/AkiieLoo
Summary: Hide, a young Omega, was born into a world where humans lived behind electric protective walls. He had always been told the world outside was dangerous and that he should never go out there, but one night after a bad encounter with his parents...Hide decided he just couldn't stay there. He finds a way out and runs away, however, he runs into a whole new world with the violent and dangerous ghouls. He finds out that everything he had been told about ghouls might have been a lie. Especially now that he finds himself bounded to a young but very adorable ghoul who doesn't seem to mind sharing him with his brothers. Can Hide handle a relationship with more then one dangerous Ghoul?





	1. At Dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um. Hi everyone? This is MY first story on achiveofourown. I am on fanfiction. My name is Aki! Nice to meet everyone!  
> The idea was inspired by my favourite story called Interspecies by newtntommy. It isn't a TG story, but it's still really good and amazingly written. Go read it! Such a great story!!! Yeah my idea came from that story, as well as a mixture between attack on titan and Owari no seraph. Basically the classic idea of a human runs away from their home and is captured, or taken into another world. That. Only it's ghouls instead of vampires, wolfs or titans. Hehe~ 
> 
> A big thank you to my amazing beta Cloudfarer for editing this! Thank you so much!

For as long as Hide could remember, he was told to never go to the near dangerous walls of Tokyo. He was told to stay as fair from the districts as possible. It wasn't safe. It was dangerous. Especially for somebody like himself.

Hide shifted. He sighed to himself as he held his hand to his cheek. His eyes were half-lidded as he listened to the university teacher ramble on and on. He wasn't even sure what she was saying anymore. Something about the human body? Hide wasn't sure. He had gone to so many of these class in his life that everything was already drilled into his head.

Why did he have to keep attending them? He was 18 years old now…

Another sigh escaped his lips. His caramel eyes flickered, and he turned to look at the rather heavy book in front of him. He had disguised it as a fairy-tale; no one was any the wiser.

Reading was one of the things he liked. Music was his first interest, but it couldn't fill his curiosity like this book can. All his life he was repeatedly told not to look for them, not to search for them and to stay as far away from them as possible. They were dangerous. If his parents ever found out what he did in his free time… well, Hide is sure it would not be pretty.

Hide isn't sure why but he just… had too. He could feel it in his bones. He had to know more. Had to learn more. He needs to know – it's so important to him and he really wishes he understood why – he is going against his very nature by doing this. He is sure that if it was ever brought to light, he would be punished.

Hide winced. He didn't need to know what kind of punishment he would get if his secret ever got out. He had seen others being punished just for asking an innocent question. Hide wasn't doing something as innocent as that… he was looking for his answers himself. He had stolen many books in his life to fill his need for knowledge.

Ghouls.

He wanted to know everything about ghouls; the other beings that shared this world. The ones hidden behind the iron and metal walls. Hide wanted to know why it was so forbidden to learn more then what their middle school teacher told them, why people would be punished beyond reason for even asking a single question about ghouls outside that one short lesson – like that lesson would ever be enough to fill the thirst.

Caramel eyes looked down at the colourful picture within the book, making Hide snort. There was no way a Ghoul looked like that? It was so… unrealistic. It looked like something from… he's not sure, but it looked completely made up. A disgusting, twisted monster. Hide had been obsessed with learning as much as possible about Ghouls after that short lesson when he was 10, and from all the things he had learnt… ghouls sounded more human then what the government wanted them to believe.

Hide snapped out of his thoughts as the bell of the university signaled the end of class. He snapped the book shut before anybody had time to peer at the pages. He ignored the fake fairy-tale cover of 'Little Red Riding Hood' and quickly began to gather his belongs, eager to get home. He didn't have many friends anyways because he always 'had his head in the clouds' and was considered more 'childish' then others. Hide had to roll his eyes at that.

Hide ignored the soft snickering and whispers of the other students and speed-walked out of the classroom. He was so eager to get out of the damn building that it made him feel dizzy just from looking up at the looming thing. Hide only let out a breath he had not realized he was holding when he stepped out of building and into the cold air. Hide inhaled sharply, and sighed to himself. Hide pulled the round, circle shaped headphones over his ears to block out the other students, and hummed to himself in relief as the familiar music began to fill his ears.

Hide all but skipped away from the building. He hummed the song under his breathe, and did his best to avoid the other people moving back and forth. Hide walked the familiar streets of what once was called Tokyo but had been changed to De Hakoiri after the devastating event all those years ago.

The sun had moved through the sky, and now was touching the tip of the walls casteing a long shadow across the ground. Hide cocked his head back to look up at the walls clearly seeing them from where he was walking. His house was located near the edge of the town, but not directly next to the dangerous walls.

The huge walls had been put up years ago by the CCG or the Commission of Counter Ghouls, the older version of the hunters that patrol and protect De Hakoiri. Hide had never been able to get close to walls, but he had been able to research about them rather well without being caught. They were made mostly from thick iron, with somebody unnatural running through them. Hide wasn't sure what it was, but he knew it was made from ghouls somehow. He wasn't sure how, but the books he had read had highly pointed towards something ghouls had in their body being used to make the walls. The same thing was used to net across the town. Thick wires made like a net was cast across the top of the walls like a lid.

Hide had noticed that if you look at them just as the sunlight hits them, they flare a bright red colour. Hide knew the net was the reason why they never get birds landing in the town – well… not alive birds anyway. They get all different types of dead birds and sometimes other animals appearing in town that had obviously been electrified by the netting.

Just as Hide thought about the electric netting, a shadow flickered through the air. A loud shriek of a bird echoed through the air, and then Hide could see something brown fall to the ground a few streets over. He flinched, and turned away.

Hide gulped, and pushed himself onward. He walked and bowed his head to the passing people. The walls were built to keep the ghouls out. Ghouls were dangerous to them, all of them – and the commission of hunters were trained to fight them. Hide had thought about joining the hunters when he turned 18 years old, but his parents had automatically told him that it wasn't going to happen. Even if he did well and got the grades needed, his breed would never be accepted into the commission. Hide rolled at that and snorted to himself.

There are three dynamic breeds. Alphas, Betas and Omegas. The most common breed is Betas. Most families would be made up from Betas alone. The next known breed and very rare are Omegas. Omegas are known as being the mother type. They're important to the survival of the word, as they're able to have more than one child. Twins being pretty common among Omegas when they breed. The last breed that are even more rare then Omegas, are Alphas. Alphas are normally the breed that everyone wants to be diagnosed as, but it was pretty uncommon in De Hakoiri.

Alphas are not distinct or anything close to being distinct. Alphas were just uncommon in humans. Hide had read that Alphas were more common and mostly expected in Ghouls or it used to be.

You can imagine which one Hide is. He was diagnosed as an Omega at the age of 12, a late bloomer but at least he presented, unlike a few other people he knew. Hide flinched. Sure it was difficult being an Omega, people expected you to be one way but if you never presented at all… that was a lot worse.

The breed followed him around since he was a child, and it had prevented him from doing all kind of things he wanted to do. Being an Omega, it was expected of you to be a perfect wife or husband, or anything between. You weren't expected to have a career, to work in De Hakoiri and you must certainly weren't expected to be a hunter. It held Hide back from a lot of things, and the only good thing about being an Omega was that you could slip under the hawk eyes. It was normally the Betas and few Alphas that got attention. It wasn't about the Omega, unless you really pushed yourself into the spotlight that is.

Hide wasn't one for that. He already had enough trouble with his parents wanting him to hurry and mate, and settle down. He knew they wanted him to breed already, to give them healthy grandchildren. He had overheard them many times, but he just wasn't attracted to anybody they had brought around. Yes, Hide did have many Betas wanting his favour, but he just wasn't feeling it. Besides he was more interested in learning what was on the other side of the walls than to reproduce. It annoyed him that there was no way possible he could get into the commission of hunters, renamed because of the word: ghouls. The hunters were the only people allowed to know anything about ghouls and it annoyed him. It was unfair.

At the age of 10 years old, one day in spring, the school would have a lesson on ghouls. It was the only time humans were allowed to know anything about the world outside the walls. Two hunters would be invited in, and the students were allowed to ask any questions for that single hour. It was not nearly long enough, Hide believed it should definitely be longer but then again, it doesn't matter. Hide had learnt a few years ago that what the hunters told them were lies and how to find the truths. Lies to scare the children into not speaking about them, and maybe-just maybe if they really wanted to know, to study to become a hunter. Once accepted into the commission, you were not allowed to leave. The information was too sensitive, apparently.

Hide snorted again. Why couldn't they just tell them? Why did it have to be such a secret? It really annoyed him. Hide knew about their… diet. That they eat flesh, human flesh; but he had also learnt that ghouls didn't necessarily have to eat human flesh, that some if they really wanted to, can eat raw animal flesh. Still, Hide didn't believe what the hunters would say.

"Hideyoshi-san."

Hide jumped. He wasn't expecting anybody to come up to him today, never mind somebody being so determined to grab his shoulder and force him around. That person being a much smaller and petit person either.

A female. She was much older than him, and she was short for her age, but since Hide was naturally an Omega, he was about the same height. Well, he was a little taller than her, only by an inch or two. She had short wheat blonde hair that was pulled off her face and braid. Her eyes were narrowed and had seen a lot. She looked worn out, tired but bored. Disinterested in everything.

Hide could smell it in the air. A beta, a very strong beta was staring at him and he naturally wanted to hide from her view. Despite her looking uninterested with him, he could see in her eyes, she was disappointed.

"A-Akira-san. Um. Lovely afternoon it is." He awkwardly and sheepishly said.

Hide tried to step away from the woman but she held an even tighter grip on his arm. He felt his stomach flip, and he gulped.

Akira's eyes narrowed at him further. She glanced around them briefly before dragging him with ease out of the busy street. They didn't walk far as Hide lived at the top of the street. She kept silent until they were out of ears shot.

"Hideyoshi. I am missing one of my books again." She stated in a firm tone of voice.

Hide's face flushed. It's true he had never been in trouble for researching ghouls, never been truly caught for taking such books, and he knew what would happen if the government ever found out… however that didn't mean that no one else knew.

"Oh really. Um. You sure you didn't accidently throw it out?" he awkwardly laughed.

Akira rolled her eyes. She crossed her arms and stared at him as if to ask him if he was being serious. She clicked her tongue, and tapped her white booted foot. It took all of Hide's will power not to look away. He knew that she knew, he could tell by her face.

Hide shifted on the balls of his feet. He pressed his hands together, and nervously looked off to the side.

"Or maybe you misplaced it somewhere…" he trailed off with a tight smile.

Akira pushed a blonde hair behind her ear. "Perhaps I did, or maybe the book will find its way back to my study by tomorrow afternoon." She said.

Hide nodded. "Duly noted." He muttered.

A pregnant silence fell over the two before Akira sighed. She placed her fingers to her temples and let out a soft groan. She looked exhausted and Hide wondered what type of crazy mission the commission of hunters had put her through this time.

"Hideyoshi. Did you also take one of Seidou's books the other day?" she asked firmly.

The other day, Hide knew what she was referring too. He awkwardly glanced away again, and mutely nodded. He couldn't help himself. Seidou had kept his books out, and they were just there…sitting innocently on the table that he couldn't help himself. He was meaning to just borrow it for that night and then return it the next morning so that Seidou would be none the wiser… but he found himself desperately trying to write down everything he could from it.

"Hideyoshi!" Akira growled. "It's fine if you sneak one of mine away, I won't turn you in, but you should know better to take a one from a high officer. You know better than I that Seidou keeps track of all his things. You should be glad that he hasn't suspected you had taken it."

Akira frowned deeply. She shook her head in disappointment. "Seidou would report you the moment he realized it was you who took it. You know he is a sticker for the rules." She huffed and in that moment, Hide had a feeling she was referring to something more personal… he wondered briefly just what that uptight Beta had done this time…

"Ah…I know Akira. I know." Hide said. He shifted his arms around the book as he spoke. "I was meaning to give it back…"

Akira's eyes immediately located the movement, and zoned down on the fairy-tale book in his arms. She almost looked impressed with how far Hide would go to disguise the book, but then she looked sonic again.

"That is Seidou's?" Akira said. Her words sounding more like a statement then a question.

Hide snapped his eyes down to the book in his arms. His face turned pink and he let out a low laugh. His lips twitched and he timidly shrugged.

Akira sighed again and held her hand out. "Well… hand it over." She said in a tone that left no room for argument.

The Omega grumbled under his breathe. He stared back at Akira, and pouted as she stared back with blank eyes. Obviously she was not playing around. She was demanding that he handed over Seidou's ghoul research book and after a few more seconds of staring, he handed it over in defeat. Hide held his head down like a wounded puppy.

"Good." Akira said.

The woman took the book, she quickly flipped through it before tucking it under her arm. Her head cocked forward, with her lips settled into a line. She closed her eyes before peering at Hide. As always, Hide's famous wounded puppy expression got to her.

"Hideyoshi. We've already discussed this. It's fine when you borrow my own books as long as they find their way back within a reasonable time however you cannot go taking others. Especially Seidou's. If he ever found out, there is no way I can stop him from reporting you. There would be nothing I could do to protect you either." She said deeply and firmly.

Hide felt like a little kid being told off by his mother, and his mother was scary enough… he didn't need Akira lecturing him either. He let out a small sigh and nodded. He knew Seidou was one of the most rule following sticklers. He was the government's good boy and there was nothing that would lure him from that path. Hide is more than 100% that Seidou would turn him in.

"I know Akira. I'm sorry." He said softly.

As soon as he spoke those words, Akira softened. Hide knew she could never be mad at him for long. He was, after all, her favourite out of them all.

"I know you've heard this all the time, but I'm only doing this because I care about you. I don't want you to go through any of those punishments that are in place for this kind of thing." Akira said softly.

Hide smiled. "I know Akira. I am really thankful for all the things you've done for me. I promise to not take anything from Seidou again." He said.

Akira made a soft sound. She eyed Hide thoughtfully. "Do you promise not to take Seidou's books again, or are you promising not to get caught again?" she asked.

Hide laughed. He shrugged, and scratched at the back of his head. He chose not to answer that as Akira already knew the answer. In the end, she just sighed and nodded her head. At least there was a small smile on her lips, so that was plus.

"By the way… if Seidou doesn't know it was me, then who does he think took his book?" Hide asked.

Akira snored. "Well, he thinks Suzuya-san took it again. The two have been paired up a lot recently, Suzuya-san is always taking his things so Seidou just think he took another thing of his. Doesn't mean he isn't pissed off about it." She said, and clicked her tongue as she thought of the two males before shaking her head at whatever was in her head.

Hide laughed again. "They sound like a married couple." He joked.

Akira rolled her eyes at the joke, but smiled at him. "That is what Amon said too." She muttered.

Hide grinned. "If Amon said that, then there has to be some kind of truth to it. Amon is more dense then anybody. If he can see it, then they have to be so obvious." He chuckled to himself. It was no secret that the two males were attracted to one another…well it was obvious to everyone but themselves apparently.

Amon was pretty dense to anything like that, so if he could see it then… holy cow!

Akira smiled. She nodded her head a little and turned around. "Come. I will walk you home." She said. "It can get pretty dangerous at this time."

"Pretty dangerous? You expecting me to trip over and ruin my pretty face?" Hide said with a small whistle.

Akira rolled her eyes. "You have to pretty something first to ruin something." She said emotionless.

Hide gasped. He held his hand to his chest. "Ouch. That burns Akira. Burns real bad." He playfully said. "How can you say this is not pretty? Oh. You're probably right. I'm drop dead handsome!"

Akira let out a rare laugh. "Of course, Hideyoshi. That's exactly what I meant."

Hide winked. "I'll take that any day!" he chuckled.

It was quiet between the two, however Hide would be lying if he said he did not notice Akira glancing at him. Eventually, Akira turned her head fully around to look at him with her lips pressed into a firm line.

"Hideyoshi. What is the deal with your fascination for ghouls? I would say it is unhealthy if I didn't research them myself. However I have no choice while you do." She finally asked.

Hide hummed. He knew it was coming. Sooner or later, Akira would question his odd need to know about ghouls. He didn't know what she had witnessed or experienced, but he did know that whatever it was… it wasn't something to take lightly. Akira had a strong opinion on ghouls, and she didn't like how he was so obsessed with them.

"I wouldn't say it was fascination…" Hide said thoughtfully. "I'm just… curious. I want to know more about them then what the government will allow. I don't think that one single hour when I was 10 years old was enough to fill my thirst. I want to know as much as possible. I want to know why we live in here and not out there. I want to know why we fear them so much. I want to know so much, and I have so many questions that I just need to know the answers to." Hide explained with a small frown.

Akira had listened quietly before looked at him from the corner of her eye. "They're dangerous because they want to eat us. Some ghouls don't just eat us because they have too; they do it for fun too, for sport."

"Yeah-yeah. That's the same thing they said in that lesson." Hide huffed. "But they don't tell you that there are some Ghouls out there that don't eat us, that eat animals instead. That ghouls have feelings, thoughts and dreams like us. They tell us that Ghouls are demons. Are monstrous things that live to kill humans when they're not. They just want to live like us."

Akira sharply breathed in. "To say something like that…I understand where you're coming from Hideyoshi, but it's not as simple as that. Who's to say that ghouls are like us? But who's to say ghouls aren't. I think it's better safe than sorry." she said.

Hide chewed the inside of his cheek. "I don't know Akira. I really don't… I just have this feeling that there's something we're missing. That there is something else out there."

"And you want to find out what it is?" Akira stated.

Hide flushed. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. I do. Really badly." He admitted.

Akira nodded. She closed her eyes. "Alright. Just don't say I didn't warn you when you find out ghouls aren't something you like." She said with a small shrug.

Hide frowned. He looked at her in wonder. "What do you mean?" he asked but got no reply. In the end he simply accepted that as the end of their conversation.

He had known Akira since he was young. He trusted Akira more than anybody else, and she was the only person who never pushed him to settle down. Akira never pushed him to breed with a Beta, settle down and reproduce. Akira never pushed for him to have a child. Hide would say he loved Akira more than his own mother. He had never told Akira before, but he knew she knew.

"You're going back out tomorrow. Aren't you?" Hide asked as the pair got to his house.

Akira blinked a little. She looked little taken back. "Yes. Amon and I have another mission. We leave at dawn tomorrow. However I'm sure it won't be too long. I should be back by the end of the week. It is just a recon mission." She said with a shrug.

Hide nodded in understanding. He did not really like it when Akira left the town. He would be left alone. He had no other friends, unless you count Seidou and Suzuya, but Hide didn't really count them. Seidou was too full of himself, and Suzuya, Hide never really got the chance to meet him for more than a few seconds. Hide hated it when it was just him and his parents.

"Ah. Okay." Was all Hide could say.

Akira smirked a little. She patted him on the shoulder. "Don't cause your parents to much grief while I'm gone. I can't babysit you forever." She teased.

Hide snorted. "I don't need a babysitter anymore. When will they learn?" He huffed which made Akira laugh.

"Well. If my books keep going missing, just make sure they make their way back." Akira said with a teasing wink.

After a few more words, she was gone. Hide stared until he longer could see her. He sighed deeply and turned back to look at the door to his small house. It wasn't brightly coloured like other houses, it looked boring and plain. He had told himself that when he moves out, he will buy a house that was brightly coloured. Painted something that truly screamed his soul. This house just looked so sad… so depressing.

Hide pushed the doors opened and poked his head into the apartment. He glanced around wearily and frowned to himself.

"Mum? Dad? I'm home?" he called out, and sighed in relief upon not hearing any signs of life in the house. He was alone.

Hide quickly took of his shoes. He made his way to the kitchen where his mother normally was, but found it empty. He sat at the table and hummed to himself. Even thought it was Seidou's book that Akira took, he did have one of Akira's books he had borrowed in his backpack. Probably not the safest thing to do.

Hide was glad he was alone. He couldn't handle his parents. Every day it was the same. Every day he heard the same thing from his parents. It was frustrating and annoying. They didn't understand him, and it was all because he an Omega…

He was an Omega.

Before Hide was presented as an Omega. He used to go out and play with the other children his age, but when he was diagnosed, his parents wouldn't let him go play anymore. It was too dangerous. It was too dirty. Hide had just accepted he was to become a house wife… even if he didn't want too.

Hide's parents had been Betas. He couldn't understand why he had been an Omega. Not when Omegas didn't run in either of his parent's families. Hide was pretty sure they blamed each other. They believed the other had lied. Hide could see it. His mother was ashamed and his father was horrified. They didn't want an Omega for a child. Hide had learnt that when he was 14 and he couldn't sleep that night. He had wanted to sneak out the back door and go star gazing like he did with Akira. Instead, Hide had accidently overheard a conversation and an agreement between his parents.

It made him sick. He had wanted to run away. Tried too, but he was caught the following day and grounded.

Nobody could blame him for it. Finding out his parents didn't want him, and were planning to marry him off in a few years, all in one night, was a little too much for him. Hide knew Omegas weren't favoured much in the town. He had been told Omegas, especially male Omegas, weren't favoured anywhere. They would be beat to death, or raped, or even kept as slaves.

But Hide couldn't bring himself to believe that. Yes. There might be a few places, but there has to be other places that accepted Omegas like him… right? Hide had no chose but to accept his parent's plans. He was going to be sent away soon… probably. Hide was now 18 years old. Almost the perfect age to be breed. Hide didn't like to think about it, but he knew that soon his parents would have sold him off to somebody.

Some Beta that hopefully won't hurt him or be disgusted with him.

Hide hoped anyway. Somebody had slapped him on the behind today in class. It was awful and embarrassing.

Hide was subjected to things like that all hours of the day. He was an Omega – an unclaimed Omega – and harassment like that happened all the time. Hide should be used to it, but he wasn't. Before he presented, nobody ever laid a finger on him but after… he is always getting his backside slapped teasingly or people would yell outrageous things at him. It was normal for Omegas, and male Omegas would always get it worse than the normal female Omegas. The people who subjected him to this, would always get away with it. There was no use in complaining, besides, it would bring shame to his family… Hide was already labelled as a failure by his family.

He hated it. He hated his family. He didn't hate being an Omega much these days. He used to resent being an Omega when he was younger, but nowadays he had accepted it. He just wished Omegas were allowed to do more than this. It upset him too much.

Hide frowned to himself. He had wanted to be a hunter when he was younger – still does. When he was growing up, all he thought about was becoming a hunter. He wanted be a strong and explore the outside world. Hide's family had even supported him at the time. They had told him to work hard for his dream but when it was revealed he was an Omega, it changed.

His dream had been crushed as soon as he presented.

Hide was brought out of his thoughts by a knock at the door. It was loud, and pounded on the wood. He grumbled to himself, and turned to look down the corridor leading to the front door. A few more seconds passed before he heard the knock again. Hide sighed and carefully got back to his sore legs. He grumbled out a 'coming' as he gathered his things and put them by the staircase. He fully intended to take them up his bedroom after answering the door.

Whoever was at the door was not being patient enough for Hide's liking.

"I'm coming. I'm coming." He said as he pulled the door open. He winced as he felt the force of the fist on the other side of the door.

"Hideyoshi-san." A familiar voice greeted.

Hide frowned. He knew that voice. Hell, he knew that smell. He wished it really wasn't that Beta. He knew who was on the other side of the door, and he didn't need to open it to find out. However it was rude if he didn't, and Hide knew his parents would be so angry with him if he didn't. Hide opened the door fully to look at the Beta. The beta was so tall and burly, that it wasn't hard to believe he wasn't an Alpha. He was hunter. Of course he would become a hunter. Hide wasn't sure if he resented him or not.

"Ah. K-Kenshin-san." Hide greeted between clenched teeth. His lips twitched into a small grin at the man.

Kenshin was good looking. Hide had to admit. He had nice black hair with lovely green eyes. His skin was white, and truthfully, he would be the type of Beta any Omega would want but Hide just wasn't interested. He wasn't attracted to him. His stomach twisted painfully to remind him he wasn't attracted to him.

"You smell good. Hideyoshi-san." Kenshin flattered.

Hide sighed. Yes, Kenshin was good looking. The Beta had been passing advances at him since the two were very young. Ever since it was known Hide was an Omega. Hide, for his part, had never acted to those passes and he knew that frustrated Kenshin.

Hide couldn't force himself to be attracted to somebody.

"Kenshin. We've talked about this." Hide tried to say kindly.

Hide had tried to reject the Beta as kindly as possible. Many times, but it was like talking to a brick wall. Kenshin just didn't take no for an answer. It did scare Hide, many times.

Kenshin ignored the poor blonde, and grabbed Hide's spare hand. He roughly pulled the smaller male towards him. He sniffed at the Omega's sweat glands and let out a groan.

"You really do smell good." Kenshin said.

Hide winced. It really did hurt when Kenshin pulled him around like that. His body had bounced a little off his open door. It sent a horrible ache down his side. He let out a soft sound from the back of his throat and tried to push the bigger male off him. Even though male Omegas wasn't exactly considered high, Omegas were still treasured. Especially after the decline in female Beta births.

"Kenshin! What do you think you're doing?" Hide demanded.

Kenshin groaned. He glared at Hide. "Why does it matter?" Kenshin asked.

Hide stared at him in shock. He didn't believe Kenshin was stupid. Hide shook his head. "Of course it matters!" he snapped.

Kenshin winced as Hide's high pitched voice. He lunched forward, pushing Hide against the door of the house and covered his mouth.

"Damn Hideyoshi. You have such a loud voice!" Kenshin said. "I mean I love how loud you are, but we are in public."

Hide's voice was muffled behind Kenshin's hand. His eyes was wide. He felt sicker than before. Kenshin had never over stepped his boundaries before.

"Kenshin!" Hide cried out.

The Beta licked up his neck to his cheek. His tongue starting at the skin visible across his neck. It didn't feel nice, or good at all. It made Hide bristle. He felt disgusting, and dirty. Completely different to what he is supposed to feel like when a Beta touches him. Hide tried to push him off, but Kenshin didn't move. His body was much bigger, and easily overpowered the Omega.

Hide screwed his eyes shut as he heard Kenshin fumble with his own pants. It was horrible and made Hide tremble in fear. Kenshin was nipping his shoulders painfully hard and grinding down against him.

"Kenshin! Stop!" Hide screamed.

Kenshin jumped. He obviously had not been expecting Hide to fight back. The Beta jumped and let out a yelp when Hide slammed his knee into Kenshin's groin.

Hide shook his head. He glared down at Kenshin and let out a hiss. His body was screaming for him to run to his bedroom and hide. To curl and hide, to wait for the Beta to leave but his feet wouldn't move. He was stuck in fear. How horrible.

"K-Kenshin." Hide began and cursed how his voice shook. He bites his bottom lip. "I-If you don't leave, I-I'll… I'll c-call Akira! And you know Akira is higher rank then you are, she can get you thrown out of the commission for this!"

Hide breathed in sharply. His fingers trembled against his sides. "Y-You know it's a criminal offence t-to force an Omega against their will…. even if they are male rather than female…" he whispered to last part to him.

Kenshin looked up at him and Hide felt his heart leap into his throat. Before he knew what was happening, Hide slammed the door shut, and locked it. He then turned around and pressed his back against the wood. He slowly sunk down the door, and he heard Kenshin on the other side. Heard how angry he was, and how hard he was punching the door in his anger. He really hoped the Beta wouldn't damage the door too much… his parents would blame him for it.

What a horrible day!

Hide ignored Kenshin's voice calling after him. He sat still, and held his breath. He clenched his eyes shut, and for once in his life, he wished he had more friends. More friends than just Akira who could help him. He knew it was an empty threat, as Akira was probably too busy to come over and help him. He whined and found his body shaking.

Hide only relaxed when the sound of the Beta faded away. When he gathered enough courage, he peeked out the door and found Kenshin gone. He let out a soft breathe of relief upon seeing his front porch empty. He sighed to himself and ran a hand through his messy hair.

"I feel so dirty." Hide hiccupped.

He really did. Yes he had always had his backside slapped playfully, and would be teased but he had never, never been touched like that. Nobody had even tried to pull his pants off. It scared him. Scared him so much to think something like that had just happened. Had happened from somebody he had thought would never do that. If Hide said no, Kenshin would back down. He wouldn't continue to push him like that.

Hide's legs shook. He wasn't sure how long he was there. He sunk down in his breakdown. His face ached, and eyes burned from the recent tear float. His face felt gross. Hide carefully got up, and fingers twitched. He felt gross, disgusting and dirty. So dirty.

Hide wanted to wash himself. He wanted to hope to wash the dirt away. His skin burned, as he made his way to the bathroom. His parents wasn't home yet, they was always away during the day but would be home right before his curfew. Hide was anxious. He had a horrible feeling his father would be talking to him tonight about his future. He hoped that what had happened between himself and Kenshin wouldn't make its way to his father's ear. His parents would never see it from his view, instead they would see it from Kenshin's view.

They would see it as Hide disrespecting their family name… again. It hurt so much.

Hide spent a long time in the bath. He just curled up in the far corner, and scrubbed his skin until the milky whiteness was red. He kept washing himself until he truly felt clean. Hide did not stop until his skin burned. He had always disliked his skin. Hide always thought he looked sickly with how pale his skin was. He thought he would look much better if he was tan like the other Betas. His parents wouldn't allow him out under the sun for long in the summer.

It had been a few hours. He was a pickled prawn when he got out. He dressed quickly and tried to hide out in his bedroom until his parents returned. He did not want his mother or father to see him looking so pathetic. His parents would definitely call him out on it. His father would call him weak. Pathetic and even a wuss. Hide hated it when his father caught him crying. His mother wasn't as bad, and would actually be really sweet, and comforting towards him when his father wasn't around, but when he was… his mother was just as strict as him.

Hide knew his mother loved him, but he felt like she cared more for his father then him.

The blonde glanced at himself in the mirror. His heart dropped. He looked awful. He looked like he had been crying for hours. Hide stared into the glass of the mirror, and felt like he was about to break down all over again. He could hear his father's disappointment.

"Shit." Hide muttered.

Hide rubbed his face. Hide's amber eyes were blood-shot, and the white skin around them was red and swollen. His nose was stuffy. Hide was an Omega, and Omega's cried a storm. It was one of the downsides of being an Omega… plus the fact he had a womb inside him somehow. Hide did not want to think about childbirth and how painful it will be for him since he was a male Omega.

"Father will be so disgusted with me…" Hide muttered.

Hide closed his eyes. He could hear his father's voice. Hide could hear his words, and taste the disappointment on his tongue. It made Hide grimace. Hide couldn't think straight. The Omega turned away from the mirror. He decided not to dwell on it. Hide just wanted to sleep honestly.

The sound of the door opening broke Hide from his thoughts. It had been roughly an hour since he had settled down to read one of the books he had borrowed from Akira. Hide slowly lifted his head, and waited quietly for his name to be called. It did after roughly five minutes. His mother's sweet and gentle voice called him out of his room. Hide quickly hide the book of ghouls away and nervously walked towards the kitchen where his parents were waiting.

He was worried about what they would say when they see him.

"Hideyoshi."

Hide winced. He really did hate his full name. So much.

"G-Good evening Father, and Mother." Hide tried to speak as clearly as possible. His voice creaked and pitched as he spoke. Hide nervously looked up at them.

Hide's father's eyes narrowed down at him. He was tall, with high shoulders and long arms. His father was what a Beta should be, and what Hide had always wanted to grow up to be like. As a child, Hide had admired his father.

Hide wanted to be just like him.

His mother was beautiful for a Beta. Hide had inherited his looks mostly from his mother, and then his father. She was short, with long curls of blonde and beautiful amber eyes. Hide loved her, and when he was a child, it was his mother he would go to. He would talk with his mother about ghouls a lot, before his father had accidently overheard them, 'it was dangerous' is what his mother later told him.

"Nori let me know today that you rejected another reliable Beta." His father said. His voice pinched with something.

Hide gapped. He snapped his head up to look at his father. Nori was Kenshin's father. Of course, he would go to his father and tell him what Hide had done. What Hide wondered if Kenshin told his father what really happened or if it was some kind of made up thing.

"But father-" Hide tried to speak.

"No Hideyoshi. We've talked about this. You have turned 18 years old two months ago!" his father said. "You can't be rejecting every person in De Hakoiri because they're not good enough for you. You are an Omega – a male omega at that, Hideyoshi. You should be glad someone even wants you that way."

Hide frowned. He tried not to show how painful that was. To hear what his father heard.

"Father! Kenshin tried to force himself onto me! I didn't reject him because he wasn't good enough for me! I did it because he tried to-" Hide tried to say.

His father held a hand up. He shook his head and sighed. "No Hideyoshi. Do you have any idea what you have done? Do you have any idea what we have to do?"

Hide gapped. His mouth opened and shut before his lips slammed shut. His jaw locked up, and he tried not to fall out cry. Why couldn't his father just listen to him?

"The Osamu family might have been the only family in De Hakoiri to be willing to take you! Nobody wants a male Omega, but Nori's son Kenshin had grown up with you, he was willing to put his desires aside for you and your future! But now, Kenshin doesn't want to even look at you, much less marry you!" his father groaned.

Hide lowered his head. His eyes stared at the floor underneath them. His eyes ached. Wide open and burned with the need to cry. His mother made a soft sound. She held her own head down. Hide couldn't even look at her without feeling like such a failure. He really did love his mother. More than anything. Even if he wasn't her first priority.

"We're just lucky enough that another family would take you despite your short comings." His father said. "You should count your lucky stars that they are still willing to take you on. I have to smooth this ordeal over with them. Let's just hope they had not heard of how you dealt with Kenshin Osamu!"

Hide frowned. Another family? He had a horrible feeling about this… what family is he talking about?

His father turned, and placed a hand to his forehead.

"It's just a pity you can't stay in De Hakoiri. However this neighbouring town is one of our most important trades. We have many trades with them, and your marriage with one of their family will strength our pack!" his father said.

Hide could see a smile form on his father lips.

"I suppose it wasn't such a big loss." He said.

Hide snapped his head up to look at his father with large, shaky eyes. "You're sending me away?!" he gasped out.

This was his home! His village! His father can't send him away! Hide snapped his eyes to his mother, why wasn't she saying anything?

"Hideyoshi!" his father snapped out before Hide could say anything more.

Hide straightened his back. He pressed his lips together. Hide started at him worriedly, and warily.

"You will do this. It is your duty. Have you got any idea how much the village had given up for you? What, you, a male Omega has done to the village's reputation?" his father said.

Hide knew his father meant business. He spoke with such a calm, and firm tone of voice that Hide knew that if he stepped out of line… he would be punished for it. What did he do to De Hakoiri's reputation? Nothing! He wasn't anything important in town!

Hide never asked to be born or presented as an Omega? It was unfair.

"No." Hide found himself saying. "It's not fair. I never asked to be an Omega! De Hakoiri has never done anything for me! Why should I give my freedom up for it? I knew you guys hated me, but I never expected you to throw me away like this! Why can't you just love me for me?"

"Hideyoshi!" his father exploded.

His mother stepped forward. "Hideyoshi. Please. This isn't something we're doing because we hate you. Of course we love you. We love you very much, but… this is for best." She tried to say as sweetly as she could.

Hide could see his mother advancing towards him. He stepped away with a shake of the head.

"No you don't. You've always put father before me!" Hide snapped at her. "If you really love me, then you wouldn't let him sell me off!"

"Hideyoshi! How dare you! Of course I love you; just because I side with your father on things doesn't mean I don't love you any less!" his mother said. "You're making a mountainous deal out of nothing. It's only marriage."

Hide stared at her in shock. Only marriage? Only marriage! Did she not love his father? Suddenly, like ice cold water had been washed over him, realization filled him. Of course. It must have been an arrange marriage between them. It explained a lot. Still the fact remained the same. Hide was being sold off. Sent away to marry somebody he had never met before.

"I'm not going." Hide said. "I won't let you ruin my life more then what you have."

"Ruin your life?" His father suddenly said. "Ruin your life? Do you have any idea what you being an Omega has done to our life? How people look at us? How the other people must see us? Have you heard what they say? Have you? No. You haven't, because you live in your special little bubble with your head too far up your ass to notice how we're being judged."

Hide flinched. He stepped away, and let out a small sound from the back of his throat. It was cruel, and hurtful to hear his father speak this way. Hide wanted to yell back. To say how come they never heard what villagers said about him? How come they believed Nori over him? Hide wanted to scream, and stomp his feet like a little child throwing a tantrum.

"For goodness sake, Hideyoshi. It is only marriage. Not the end of the world. You will live, and I am sure you will thank us one day." His mother said firmly.

Hide's eyebrows twitched. "Only m-marriage? Mother! You know there is a lot more than that! I don't want to leave! I don't even know this person I'm supposed to marry! I can't love somebody I don't even know!"

"Love has nothing to do with marriage, Hideyoshi." His father suddenly said. "You think we loved each other when we married?"

Hide gasped. He stared between his parents in disbelief. "You must have… just a little bit?" he asked.

Hide tried not to sound like he was begging but it was a difficult thing to accept that. To believe that. His mother had always told him that when he married, it would be with somebody he loved with all his heart. How could she have married somebody she didn't love?

"Of course not, Hideyoshi. We did what we must for our villages." His father said.

Hide gasped. He never knew his parents weren't from the same village. Hide had grown up with the thought of his parents being 'hopelessly in love'. It was strange and it hurt to hear that that wasn't the case. Hide couldn't say anything. Instead he lowered his head.

"It… it was our duty." His mother said in a quiet voice.

Hide looked at her. He felt dizzy and was surprised. He felt sick. "B-But…" Hide trailed off.

His mother finally stepped up to his side. She placed her hand onto his shoulders, and turned him towards her. She forced a weak, and wary smile. "Everything will be fine. It's your duty. It won't be so bad." She said. "You'll adapt quickly."

Hide started at her. His eyes was wide, and he gaped a little. He glanced between his mother and his father. He pulled away, and kept his head down. He couldn't make a sound. Nothing left his lips, nothing came from his throat.

Hide slowly nodded. "May… may I go to bed now please?" he meekly asked.

His mother nodded. She removed her hands and stepped back. "Of course." She said.

Hide let out a small hiccup. It took everything in his power not to break down in front of his parents. He could tell with one look at them, they would be having another fight as soon as he left the kitchen. His heart skipped a beat, and turned around. Hide quickly left the kitchen, eager to get back to the safety of his blankets. Just as he was expecting, as soon as he pulled the door shut behind him, the familiar noise of his parents arguing filled the air. Hide didn't even want to know how long he had before he was sent away. Instead he ran to his bedroom, and slammed the door shut behind him.

The arguing and fighting didn't finally stop until hours later, and the sun finally disappeared behind the rocky hills. Hide laid still in his bed. His eyes still burned, as he had cried as soon as he buried himself into a blanket cocoon. He had finally stopped crying, hopefully he had dried out of tears, but his chest had that awful sensation running through him.

Hide had turned onto his back, and stared up at nothing really. He had counted all the lines on his ceiling more than once now. He couldn't sleep. Every time he tried to close his eyes, his mind conjured up more worrisome thoughts.

Thoughts of where his life will be going… where he will be in the future?

What will happen once he is married? Will his future husband be kind or not? Will he even have any freedom?

What if his husband isn't nice at all? What if his husband is just… completely cruel? Would he even like him? Would he and his husband get along? What would… happen once they're married? He is damn well sure that his husband would not be happy with his love for researching ghouls. His husband would probably be disgusted. Angry with him.

Hide sighed to himself. He slowly sat up. He couldn't sleep, he doubted he would ever be able to sleep peacefully again. Not now. If he had just married Kenshin it would be a better than this. To be sent away to another village to marry some other person.

Hide's eyes watered once again. Why couldn't his parents just accept him for who he was? What did he have to marry for? Hide didn't want to marry… he wasn't ready. Hide whimpered. He didn't want to be trapped… he didn't want to be sent away.

"What should I do?" he whispered. "I want to see the outside world… I don't want to be locked away anymore…"

Hide turned his head to look back out the window. He could leave. Hide wondered if he could leave. How would he leave? What would he do? How would he get outside the walls? Hide nurses his bottom lip. He breathed deeply, and tapped his fingers thoughtfully. Could… could he runaway? How would he get out?

What if he got caught?

Hide was wondered what type of punishment he would be given for trying to run away. He closed his eyes, with his head resting against the glass. Could he do it? Could he really get out of De Hakoiri without being caught? How… how could he do this?

Hide's poor heart was beating so loudly. He gulped, and clenched his hands at his sides. He knew what he wanted, he just had to gather the courage to do it. He was weary, and scared, but he couldn't stay here... should he grab supplies? Clothes? Hide wanted to get away as fast as he could, if he gathered things up to take with him it might slow him down, or his parents could wake up and catch him.

But how? There was no way he could sneak out the gates by himself

Hide frowned deeply. He clocked his head to the side, and reached for the book he had borrowed from Akira. He opened the book randomly. The page he opened it on was of one of the sketches. A sketch of what a ghoul might look like today. Hide stared at the sketch. It wasn't a popular opinion, and the sketch had been criticized for many things… the main reason being that the creative sketch looked like a normal human. A normal human that could easily be walking down the street in De Hakoiri. Hide found himself liking it though… compared to all the other pictures, this one seemed the most realistic even if other people didn't think so.

Hide traced his fingertips along the messy lines. "I have to… to leave…" he whispered to himself.

Hide hugged the book to his chest and as strange as it sounded, the action did relax him a little. He bites at his bottom lip and looked at the window. It was then that his mind clicked with something. There was a way out! It was risky, but it was an opportunity… it might be his only chance… who knows when his parents will send him off.

"Akira and Amon…" Hide muttered to himself. "They have that mission at dawn…surely I can… maybe… just maybe, sneak out with them….?"

It sounded crazy. So stupid to ears but it might be his only chance. Hide twitched and nodded his head in agreement with his thoughts.

"A-At dawn then…" Hide breathed out softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um. First chapter...what do you think? It's not too bad right? I'll be updating soon! 
> 
> I'm a little unsure of how Hide will get out, but I have a few ideas. One from a certain movie that I will credit if I use it...but overall, I think it's coming together well. Hehe~ I like my couples, and my character. What do you all think?
> 
> English isn't my first language. I do hope you enjoy my writing! I'm always working with a beta to help make sure I've used the right words and tends. I'm still learning, so I hope you'll forgive any mistakes we've left~


	2. Burning Fangs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading, commenting, kudos and bookmarking! I'm very grateful! Seriously, I wasn't expecting so many people to have read it!
> 
> A big thank you to my amazing beta Cloudfarer for editing this! Thank you so much!
> 
> Enjoy...I hope you like it!

Dawn came faster than Hide was expecting. He had prepared himself ahead of time. He had done his best at keeping as quiet as possible and finally… it was done. Hide steps carefully to the door of his house. He knew his father would be awake in an hour or two, so he had to get going now. He gripped the handle tightly and breathed in sharply. The Omega glanced at his bedroom, and with one last deep breath, he pulled.

The door opened with a soft squeak.

Hide jumped. He had forgotten the door made such a sound. He paused, and poked his head out into corridor. Hide waited, and listened for any sound that would suggest his parents had been woken up. He heard nothing. He gulped and slowly walked towards the front door. He came to a stop directly in front of the door and felt his whole being shiver.

Hide felt anxious; he had never gone against his parents rules before.

What they said was law.

He felt like he was breaking a thousand rules right now and truthfully, Hide had never felt so many emotions at once. Hide reached for the door handle, and pulled it open. He winced as he easily pulled the worn down wooden door open and felt the icy-cold air immediately rush into his face. Hide's amber eyes burned from the air.

The sky was beginning to brighten as the sun was starting to rise. Hide smiled meekly, he had not ever seen the sunrise. It was beautiful… just as beautiful as he had heard about, but that didn't stop Hide from wanting to turn back. He wanted to go back inside with his tail between his legs but he couldn't. Hide didn't want to be married off. Hide couldn't stand the thought of being given to somebody he had never met before. Just to strengthen the pack between the protected towns. He wanted to be free, but he had no idea on how to get past the gates.

Hide almost tumbled over his feet as he came to a stop. He panted and bent over to catch his breath before eventually lifting his head. He had come to a stop where he could see the gate rather well. He stared and noticed there were two hunters on guard. Both looked like they were about to doze off any moment. Hide peered at them. How was he supposed to get past them? Better yet… how was he supposed to get the heavy looking doors opened?

In complete honesty, Hide had never even witnessed the gates opening before… never in his life. He puffed his cheeks out, and chewed his bottom lip. He is smart. Very smart. He should be able to figure out a way through them. The longer he stared, the more Hide realized the gates were electronically controlled. He could see a square shaped panel, which he believed might have number buttons underneath to open the door… he cursed to himself.

It was a ridiculous thought to believe he could sneak out from De Hakoiri… he should just go back and hide back under his blankets. He shifted the book in his arms, and hugged it to his chest. He sighed deeply to himself with a groan. He shouldn't have thought he could even sneak out. Just as Hide was about to make a step in the direction of his house, he noticed movement from the guards. Hide froze, and felt heat run through his body. He stared frozen as the thought of being caught ran through his brain.

"Where is A-Akira and Amon?" he said softly.

Hide's amber eyes flickered back and forth. He tried to spot the two hunters. Hide couldn't stop his heart from beating so painfully. It made his head spin but he did his best to stay calm. The fear of being caught kept his legs from shaking too much.

It was then that he noticed a group of people walking towards the gates. Hide stared in surprise. It was the first time he had really seen hunters this close before… normally he would see the hunters from a distance. He had not even seen Akira's suit before, it was the first time he could see the suit in full detail. Suits designed to protect the human body from ghouls. How? Hide had no idea, the suits looked kind of… flimsy. Hide stared in complete silence. He stood within the shadow of a building and watched mutely as one hunter said something to the others and then walked away.

Hide felt panic run through his body as the hunter walked towards him. He stumbled backward and tried to hide himself the best as he could. His face turned red as the hunter suddenly began to pull down the zipper of his rubbery suit. The hunter came to a stop near the same tree Hide was hiding behind. He pulled the suit straight down to his knees. Hide turned away with wide eyes. His face become redder when he heard the sound of rushing water. Realization filled his face.

The guard was taking a piss. He was peeing!

Hide counted to ten in his head, he slowly peeked around the tree at the guard and gulped. He tried not to look at the area between his legs, and found himself looking at the suit puddled around the hunter's ankles. An idea formed in his head but could he get away with it? Hide's body moved faster than his brain. Before he knew it, he found the hunter on the ground unconscious from being smacked hard in the head with the hard cover of a thick book.

The Omega blinked once and then twice. He glanced between the poor hunter and his book before realizing that yes, yes he did just hit the hunter on the head with his book, and yes, the hunter is now out cold.

Well shit. He looked back at the book and couldn't believe it was enough to knock the man out… unless the man had a weak head. Now Hide was worried he had just hit a man with an already wounded head.

Hide shook his head, and reached down. He gripped the suit and tugged as harshly as he could. He fell back onto his backside with a soft thud, the black boots bouncing against the ground on either sides of his hips. He swallowed and glanced back up at the tower. He hoped the other hunter wouldn't come down looking for his partner.

Hide only had a few minutes. He pulled at the rubbery marital of the hunter suit. Hide struggled getting it on, but he did eventually. As soon as he got it on, he felt hot and sticky. Hide wondered how in the world the hunters could go so many hours while wearing this thing! Hide pulled on the boots, and gloves before reaching back for the hood. He pulled it right over his head, and puffed out his cheeks from how big the hood was on his small head. Fully dressed, Hide turned around and made one step before remembering his precious book. Hide quickly grabbed his book, and slide it into his suit. It pressed it against his chest, and pulled at the zip to keep it locked into place.

Heart beating heavily in his chest. Hide stepped out from the tree. He stared blankly and scratched at the back of his head.

Now what?

Hide had no idea what to do now? How was he supposed to get through the gates now? He didn't even know the code to the door, but… he couldn't exactly turn back now. It would be pretty suspicious if the guard walked straight back into the trees and didn't come back… wouldn't it?

Hide turned back to the gates to see the guard. The other guard waved at him. He awkwardly raised his arm to wave back in return. He didn't have any ideas of what to do. So Hide waved up at the other guard.

Hide gulped. There was only one way to find out.

Hide breathed in deeply and stepped out from the trees. It was difficult to walk in those boots. Hide almost tripped over them, it was hard to walk. They was just so heavy, and thick. It was hard to move in the suit also. Maybe Hide really wasn't cut out to be a hunter… not if he couldn't even walk straight without tripping up.

Hide held his breath. He anxiously walked up to the group of hunters that had been obviously waiting on him – well the other guy really. He tried to keep his head high, and walked with his back straight. Hide awkwardly waved at the guards, as he came to stop at the rear of the guards. Hide stilled. His whole body froze as he waited. When nothing happened, fear filled him and he thought he had been caught.

The ground started to shake and iron gates slide open. Hide started with shock as it opened to reveal the world outside. Hide started at it with wide eyes. Why would they open the gate without a word… wouldn't that be suspicious? Somebody like himself could be pulling something like this. It could be dangerous.

Hide breathed in sharply. He stalked awkwardly behind the other hunters. He felt his heart leap into his throat as he noticed Akira and Amon was at the front… leading the group with their heads held high. Well fudge.

"Be careful out there newbie."

Hide jumped and glanced at one of the hunters stationed at the gates. He awkwardly waved his arm with a quick nod of the head and rushed to catch up to the other guards. Hide felt a strange sensation fill him as the gates closed behind him. The ground rumbled underneath him and suddenly, Hide couldn't breathe… it was strange to realize he had stepped on the ground on the other side of the gate.

'Guess there really is no way back now…' He thought.

Hide looked back over his shoulder at the gate. His knees buckled under him, and he pressed his teeth into the soft sensitive skin of his lip. Outside De Hakoiri there was nothing. A few trees that looked half dead, but overall it was plain and really boring. Hide felt rather disappointed… and dissatisfied with what really was outside De Hakoiri. As he grow up, Hide had always dreamt about the world outside and this wasn't what he was expecting.

Hide frowned and scratched at the back of his head. The dirt underneath his feet looked dry, and the ground had cracks running through the stones like tiny fingers. Hide felt almost worried that he would fall straight through the ground if he stepped on the wrong spot. There were a few trees, flowers and what used to be bushes littered around… all of which looked like they're on the edge of dying.

"Stay close. Do not let the scenery trick you." Akria's deadpan voice filled the air.

Hide looked at the woman ahead of him. He slowed his walk to hide behind the much larger men or women in the group. He didn't want to catch Akira's attention. Akira would be able to tell it was him as soon as her eyes landed on his body.

"Trick us?" A brave hunter asked.

Akira let out a loud snort. "The real danger is up ahead." She said.

Amon stopped. He was much taller than either Akira or Hide. He turned around fully to look at the group of hunters. His shoulders were broad and his head was held high.

"See that." He began.

Hide looked at what the man was gesturing towards. It was a long metal pole. It was stuck in the ground but stood over them. Hide could see the small lights flickering at the tip with what looked like numbers.

"That is the outer defense system. There are five more surrounding De Hakoiri. It marks the end of our territory, and everything beyond them belongs to the Ghouls." Amon explained. His deep voice rumbled loudly. "They do two things to ensure De Hakoiri is safe. One: if a Ghoul triggers them, it will immediately alert the people back at the commission of hunters. Two: It will let out a high voltage shock that should stun the Ghoul long enough for the hunters to come and end it."

"The outer defense system is what is keeping Ghouls from De Hakoiri. It is one of De Hakoiri's key defenses." Amon finished.

A silence fell over the group of hunters and Hide wondered if the hunters were all really new hunters? Fresh out of training or something? Otherwise, why would Amon have to explain about the defense system? Hide stared up at the high polls. He wondered where the other five are.

"What happens if a Ghoul destroys them?" That same brave hunter asked.

Akira turned her deadly glare onto the hunter. "That would never happen. They've stood for many years and they will continue to." She said, almost too confident.

Amon placed a hand onto her shoulder and shook his head. "Well… in theory, De Hakoiri would be rendered defenseless. We have the dome, but that could only withstand so much. All we have is to hope and pray no ghoul can get through the system otherwise we're all dead." He explained.

"But it still won't happen; but if it does somehow happen, then it most definitely won't be in our lifetime." Akira said with a deep frown on her lips.

Hide frowned to himself. He loved Akira, he really did, but he was surprised with how naïve she was right now. He stared up at the pole. Nothing lasted for ever, and Hide really doubted those poles would last forever like she believed. Sooner or later, something will happened. Hide did agree with Akira on one thing. He hoped it won't be in his lifetime…

"Alright. Everyone prepare yourself. We enter the Ghoul's territory!" Amon ordered.

Hide felt his heart skip a beat, and excitement filled him. It was excitement and yet fear fill him. He wondered if he would really see a Ghoul. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He still had to figure out how to sneak away from the group without being seen… never mind the thought that he could be eaten by something. Even if it was Ghoul or not… there was no way he could fight whatever predator off… he was an Omega after all.

"Oh."

Hide let out as he noticed the group had started to walk ahead. He quickly speed-walked after them before wondering if he truly could sneak off without being noticed? Nobody had noticed he had almost been left behind.

A few hours had passed since they had begun to walk. Hide forced himself to walk, and his legs burned. Hide walked on, well more like struggled on. Nobody seemed to notice, and if they did, they didn't show any signs that they did. His parents must be looking for him by now… searching for him, but Hide couldn't bring himself to care.

Hide kept his head down as he trailed behind the other hunters. The book he had brought with him was digging into his skin, and he was sweating. Hide lifted his head and jumped, he barely stopped himself in time before he walked straight into the back of another hunter. He quickly caught himself and stumbled off to the side. All the hunters weren't walking, they were standing in a line and was staring at something. Hide frowned and turned his head around to look at what had captured the other humans' attention.

Shock and disbelief filled him. Hide stared in pure shock. He had never seen anything like it before, and just staring at it made him feel the strong sense of sadness and despair fill him. There, laid out in front of him was a city. It was a large and glorious city. It had large, and high buildings as well as small but oval shaped buildings… however it was falling apart. What used to beautiful coloured, and flashy lights was now a muddy brown colour with shattered glass everywhere. Nature had taken back the city, and lush green had begun to overgrow the building.

It was a city… a city ruins.

"This used to be Tokyo." Akira explained.

Hide jumped. He twirled his head around to look at the woman in disbelief. This was Tokyo? Hide wondered if she was joking but when she showed no signs of joking, his stomach sunk and he accepted she was telling the truth. He turned his attention back to the city and trembled.

This was Tokyo… this was De Hakoiri before the event. It was so much bigger then De Hakoiri.

De Hakoiri?

Hide wanted to ask 'what had happened' but kept his curiosity in. He couldn't allow Akira or Amon to know he was there. He knew Akira would drag him back to De Hakoiri by his ear. He didn't want to go back.

'Maybe this could be the perfect chance to sneak off?' Hide thought.

Hide actually found himself eagerly walking down the ruins of Tokyo behind the group. He watched them silently, he noted how they wearily walked along the demolished streets. They all moved as if they were expecting something to come rushing around the street corner and for all Hide knew, something might. Hide shook his head, and slowly took a step backward. He kept moving until he no longer could see the other hunters.

The Omega breathed sharply, and leant back against the decaying building. He had to catch up to himself first. His body trembled, and his heart was beating so harshly from his nerves that he almost felt dizzy.

"Sorry father… mother…" he whispered. "I'm sorry I can't come home anymore…."

Hide shook his head. His eyes blurred with tears. He turned around to face alleyway he had hidden in. He could see another street at the head of this alleyway. Hide had to get moving, he had a feeling the other hunters might have noticed his disappearance soon and might come looking.

Hide's mouth felt dry. His feet making soft thuds in the mud as he went. Just as he took a full ten steps away, the sky crackled and the cloud darkened.

Water fell from the heavens.

"Rain…" Hide grumbled.

For the first time since he was a child… Hide hated the rain.

Hide shook his head and struggled on. He did his best to ignore the rain falling upon him. The ground was so dry that it sucked up the rain. Hide had to admit, it looked beautiful, the way the rain ran over the ruins. It was beautiful.

Hours later, Hide could see the peach pink sky of the setting sun. The air was bitter and crisp from the rain. Hide's brain was scattered. It was overwhelming when one is running for their damn freedom like he is.

A grunt escaped his lips. Hide looked down at himself and frowned. He was covered in mud and dirt. Leaves and grass stuck to the hunter's suit he had… stolen? Yeah.

Hide pulled at his boot as hard as he could, as it had been caught in a hole. Hide's lips twisted together and he growled between clenched teeth. He was tired, and he wanted to find somewhere… anywhere safe to spend the night… not that he was expecting to find anything like that. Hide came to a stop. He leant against a building to rest for a few minutes. The suit was hot, and heavy. It made his skin itch with sweat dripping off the edge of his blonde hair. Hide reached up and yanked his hood back and he let out a soft gasp of relief. Especially when the evening breeze blow across his face. It felt good. It felt even more then good when his back slid down the side building, and he landed on his backside. His legs flared with relief from walking and occasionally running without a break.

Hide groaned and rubbed his legs. His body was screaming for him to stop. It was unheard of for an Omega to be running like him. As much as he would like to sleep, to rest for a long time, he couldn't. Hide couldn't. He had to get back up, he had to get moving once again. He had no time to rest. Anything could happen if he stayed still, and in one place for too long.

It was a stupid idea to do this but there was no way he could go home… Hide was pretty much lost by now. There was no way he could find his way back to De Hakoiri. He did miss his home. He really did. De Hakoiri held special and precious memories… as well as bad ones.

After a few seconds, he forced himself up onto his feet. His legs screamed as he placed his weight onto them. Hide forced himself to begin to walk once again. Another two hours passed and the sky was a void of pure darkness. Stars were littering the black blanket with a full moon.

It had been a full day. A full day since he had somehow got out of De Hakoiri and ran away.

Hide could see the stars. He stopped for a moment, neck arched sharply backwards as he stared up at the sight of twinkling white lights. A small lips formed a smile. He really did like the starry sky. He didn't even bother pull the hood back up.

It was peaceful. Completely different to his life back in the village.

Silent. Content. Peacefully. It was nice. It was lovely.

Hide breathed in the cold air. He closed his eyes for a few seconds. There was no loud, horrible snickering voices. No whispers. No sneering or hisses voices. Nobody came up behind him and smacked his backside teasingly. Hide wondered if he could live comfortably now.

Hide had no idea what he will do now. He didn't think that far ahead… he did not even think he would make it this far. Hide stood far from De Hakoiri. There were no lights, no sounds, nothing… he could see the stars better than ever. Hide stared up, and could feel himself become at ease. He felt as if he wasn't on the run for his freedom. Hide had never felt this way before. It was… different. He hugged his book to his chest. He could still feel it pressing into his chest.

A nervous shudder ran down his spine. Hide looked through the darkness of the ruins of buildings. Now that he thought about it, he had not run into anything like he was kind of made out to believe. No ghouls at all… not even a normal animal.

Hide pressed his hands together. He awkwardly walked forward. A horrible feeling appeared in the pit of his stomach. What if he had already been seen? By something inhuman? What if he had already become the prey to something?

All of a sudden a loud echoing thud filled the air. Hide's hair stood up on end. It sounded as if something heavy had landed quite close to him.

Hide jumped. He barely had any time to think before the ground from underneath him disappeared. He found himself moving fast, his body tumbling, twisting and aching all over. Everything was blur, and Hide clenched his eyes shut from the painful sensation. A cry erupted from him, and Hide felt his body being flipped over. His body shook, and curled up tightly. His body pressed up against a hard, smooth surface of some kind of wall. He held his head down, and a strange click filled his ears.

Hide's head snapped up. He saw a strange glowing red shape of crystal near him. He glanced around him, and found himself surround by three more of the same crystal like shapes. He was in some kind of red crystal sack? Hide had no idea… was it a box? He had curled up to prevent the crystal from ripping into his flesh. The book he had was pressing into his flesh.

"W-What?" Hide said shakily.

Hide leant forward. With a shaky hand, Hide tried to push the crystal in front of him. However as soon as his fingers touched the crystal, a painful sensation filled his fingertips and he quickly withdrawn with a shudder.

"N-no. No. No." Hide gasped out.

Was… was this a crystal cage?!

"H-how…" Hide whimpered.

How the fuck did this happen? He was standing freely in the middle of a street without a care in the world when suddenly he felt something grab him by the ankle and he was thrown through the air. Next think he knew, he was trapped inside a crystal box? That was creepily similar to an animal trap only it was the perfect size for him…

Another thud came from one side of the crystal thing, however Hide couldn't see. He felt so much fear. He didn't understand what was happening. His body was shaking so much, and no matter what he could do, he couldn't stop himself from trembling in fear. His ears rang with more thuds that came from all directions. Hide wiggled further back and pressed himself back against the back of the crystal, but not so close that it ripped through the suit.

Something was definitely out there…

The heavy and deep sound of something sniffing.

"What we got Ayato?" A feminine voice hissed from one side of the box.

Hide snapped his head in the direction of the voice. He couldn't see through the crystal, but he could hear the person. The heavy footsteps came up to one side of the crystal cage.

"I think we've caught a hunter!" Another voice replied.

This Ayato person was male. His voice was deep, and sounded angry, but still held a sickening fascination.

"A hunter? You mean… a human hunter?" The female asked in surprise.

The sound of rustling, and tussling came from outside. It was as if the other… thing, had to come closer to see for herself. Hide half expected the crystals to move, but nothing happened. Instead he felt like a foot had kicked the crystals on the outside. He trembled and let out a cry of surprise.

"What the hell!" the same voice hissed. "It is a human hunter! They never come this far out."

"No shit Sherlock!" Ayato's voice snapped back.

The female bristled. "Fuck off Ayato!" she snapped, and the sound of something being hit filled Hide's ears.

Hide winced. Sounded like whoever it was had the strength and power to do a lot of damage.

"Whatever." Ayato snorted. "What do we do with him? Can we eat him?"

Hide felt his stomach drop. His eyes widened and his mouth gaped. Were…. were they Ghouls? Hide felt pretty dizzy at the thought he could be eaten by Ghouls…

"No!" The female sneered. "We'll take him to Yoshimura! We follow Yoshimura's rules for a reason, shitty Ayato!"

Hide let out a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't going to be eaten… though, who is Yoshimura? Hide felt the familiar bubble of curious crawled up his throat. It took his whole being to hold it back. Hide didn't have much time to wonder about it before the crystal thing was suddenly being moved. Hide let out a yelp of surprise and fear. The crystal cage was being lifted from both sides, and it was an awful feeling.

He was so scared of being dropped!

The two outside laughed in pure amusement. They had heard his cry of fear and probably felt his fear.

"He's shaking like a leaf!" Ayato chuckled.

"Relax!" The female huffed. "You won't be hurt… yet anyway."

Hide could almost hear the eye roll from the female outside the crystal. He shook his head and tried his best to curl up. He couldn't believe this. He couldn't believe this was happening. All because he didn't want to be married? To be sold off to be married? He opened his mouth to make a sound, but nothing came out. Whatever he wanted to say, died on the tip of his tongue.

Hide felt a horrible painful sensation flare through him as the crystals spun around his body. It was like the two people had thrown the box…they probably did. Hide let out cry when he felt himself, and the crystal thing slammed into something and came to a stop. Probably a building… most likely.

He jolted when crystals suddenly pooled away, like the top of the sack was being pulled open. Hands reached in for him, and Hide automatically tried to lean away from them. He pressed himself backward, but it was useless. With power and strength Hide had never felt before, he was easily yanked out, and hoisted onto his feet.

There was a crowd waiting outside, and as soon as Hide was outside the crystal sack, the crowd erupted with noise. Loud, earth shattering screams, yells and cheers. It made his head spin, and Hide had to cover his ears in hope of trying to block out the painful sound. So many people. People he had never seen before.

Where are the Ghouls? The monstrous demons that the commission of hunters kept pushing for? Where are they?

Yells, screams, sneers and hisses. All came from the many people glaring at him, pointing at him and even throwing things at him. He felt his stomach twist horribly. He tried to step away, but the arms holding his tiny shoulders prevented him from moving. The people hated him and Hide didn't know why.

"Enough!"

A voice echoed out. It easily ripped through the loud, sickly merged chaos of voices. Immediately the crowd went silent. Like somebody had pressed the mute button. The voice was deep, yet gentle. It was an odd voice to hear… almost like it wanted Hide to relax but he couldn't. He was too scared… he was terrified he would wet himself.

A man. A man who was much taller than any man Hide had ever seen. Hide felt so tiny, and small compared to him. There was no way Hide could fight and win… he had already lost. The man stared down at him with a strong look. A look that was between hard, judgmental, kind and understanding.

He looked very… warm. Hide had to admit that if he wasn't so scared right now, Yoshimura would be the last person he would be afraid off. He looked like his grandfather! It was still night. It was difficult to see properly, but he could tell there was fire. When Hide looked he found many garbage bins on fire. Hide gulped and tried to see the two holding him. They looked similar to one another, both shared the same type of annoyed face. The only difference is that one of them had half of their face covered by their hair.

Hide hoped they wouldn't throw him into the fire…

"U-Um…"

Hide wasn't sure what to say but he thought for a second that maybe if he explained… then maybe they wouldn't eat him or hurt him that much.

"It seems we got ourselves a human hunter." Yoshimura breathed out. His eyebrows pulled together as if he was trying to figure something out.

Hide felt his eyes water as the crowd of people erupted into cheers and yells. All of which demanding his death. But he wasn't a hunter! Yoshimura stared at Hide. His gentle eyes stared at him, looking into his soul as if he was trying to find something within Hide. Hide wasn't sure what thought.

"Now… Hunter." Yoshimura spoke slowly. "Why have you travelled into our territory?"

Hide's eyes widened. He shuddered, trembled uncontrollable.

"W-what?" he asked. Hide must have sounded so dumb. He was stuttering, and probably looked pretty stupid in front of the man.

Yoshimura frowned. He clocked his head to the side. "We had a deal. You hunters would stay out of our lands, and we, in return wouldn't go into yours." He explained softly. "You're trespassing."

The last word, trespassing, filled with something similar to disgust. Hide felt confused. He stared back at Yoshimura in wonder. A deal? What kind of deal was he talking about? Hide opened his mouth and then shut it.

"I'm…I'm s-sorry…" Hide had no idea what else to say.

"Yoshimura…" The female began. Her dark eyebrows pulled together, and she tightened her grip on Hide's arm. "I don't think he knows…"

Yoshimura looked at him. A thoughtful expression appeared across his face. He stared down at Hide, the gears in his head turning and he blinked a little. He let out a deep rumble of a hum as he fell into deep thought.

"No matter. His death will still send a message. We won't accept any kind of intrusion!" A different voice suddenly cut in.

Yoshimura blinked in surprise. He looked like he wasn't expecting anybody to interrupt him. He turned his head to look at another, different young woman appeared. She advanced rather quickly through the sea of red and black eyed people. Her long curls of green bounced along behind her, and the dark dress she wore seemed like it had seen better days.

"Eto…" Yoshimura began, however the female ignored him.

Eto grinned. Her lips twisted into a sadistic smirk. Her eyes bled red and she twirled around to the crowd of people around them. She let out a sickly laugh and arched her head back.

"While my father is too soft hearted and naïve to believe humans would really live by the rules, I am not! I know what's happening out there! I know about the hunters that have killed many of our people! No more! We will kill this hunter and send his head back to that pathetic territory line!" she bellowed out pridefully.

Eto's words made the other people around them erupted with cheers. They screamed and jumped up and down. All of them begging for his death.

Hide's eyes widened in disbelief. Tears welled up and dripped of his eyelashes. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, or what was happening. They didn't understand! He wasn't a hunter! He was just trying to get away. He just didn't want to be married off to somebody he didn't know!

He didn't even know who these people were!

Eto smirked widely. Her red lips parted and fang like teeth poked out of her top lip. Her eyes swirled with something dark. She twirled around to peer down at the Omega. Her lush green hair pushed off her face, and gave her menacing look as she towered over him easily.

"Silly little human! You should have stayed at home!" she snorted and let out a cackle of laughter.

Hide looked between the two people holding him and felt a sickly feeling fill him. The girl looked worried and confused, unsure of what to do while the other looked almost pleased. The man, who Hide assumed was Ayato, began to pull him towards Eto. The girl holding his other arm pulled back on Hide before caving in quickly and letting go.

Hide's legs slide out from underneath him. He struggled against their grip on him, and felt his body lurch forward when pain flared up his side. Hide snapped his head around to look at his arm. It burned and ached with a sensation that almost made him scream. He had been cut! He had no idea how, but he tried to cover the bleeding wound. How could he have been wounded through the suit? The suit had been split open, and red seeped out from the slit.

Suddenly Eto paused. She turned fully to Hide and sniffed. Her eyes darkened and her lips twisted almost in anger and annoyance. Her hair shadowed her face as she stepped closer to Hide and sniffed again. Hide wondered how badly he smelled.

Yoshimura, also smelling whatever Eto smelled, stepped towards Hide. His leant his face in close and sniffed once himself. His old eyes widened in disbelief, and his jaw almost dropped.

"Hunter… you're…" he trailed off in surprise.

One moment Hide was staring at Yoshimura in fear, then the next a new face was approaching him. Yoshimura disappeared as fast as lightening. Loud screams, and hisses flared up around him. A strange sound that Hide couldn't explain. Hide could only knew that something was going on, but he isn't sure what. He couldn't see probably. Something was approaching him, moving towards him fast but Hide wasn't sure what. His eyes were wide, and burning from tears. His view was blurry and he couldn't see.

Hide barely let out a sound when he was shoved onto his back and weight was on top of him.

Pain! White hot pain!

It bared its fangs, and revealed its ugly head. The most painful thing he had ever felt in his life filled his veins. It burned through him and made him scream. It was excruciating! So badly that he couldn't make out a single thing. Everything was a horrible blur. Two long, and incredibly sharp teeth dig into his neck. More screams clawed free from his throat. His heart pound heavily, and he felt wondered for a moment if he was going to die?

Hide scrambled. His hands moving in front of him. He punched and kicked wildly. He shoved as hard as he could. He mindlessly did everything he could to get away from the worst pain he had ever felt before. It felt like fire running through his veins. It felt like being set on fire.

Was he going to die? Is he dying? He felt his body pulse. He was going into shock.

Suddenly the body on him was flung off him. Hands grabbed him in desperation, and a series of painful slaps was delivered to his back. The slaps hit directly in between his shoulder blades. They didn't let up until Hide let out his own trail of hiccups and coughs.

He found himself spitting out all kind of things. Silvia, blood and phlegm. Hide's mouth hung open. His lips slack, and with a weak hand, he reached for his neck. He lets out a tiny sound as he felt something wet and warm cover his palm. He knew exactly what it was, and it scared him.

Blood. Somebody had bitten him. It had felt worse than anything he had ever felt before.

Who… who had done this to him?

Hide tried to look around himself. He tried but he couldn't see. Everything was out of focus. He felt like he was going to throw up.

A blurry face came close to him. Hide recognized it as Yoshimura. The leader of… whatever this place is. He couldn't quite tell what the man was doing, but judging from how clean his mouth was Hide doubted he was the one who had bitten him. It looked like Yoshimura was staring at him in concern. The old man was observing him before he turned his head around to look at somebody close by.

Hide tried to look in the same direction but only saw a blurry figure. A blurry figure with something red? Was that right?

Yoshimura said. "Do you have any idea what you have done?!"

Yoshimura said more words but Hide couldn't keep up. He felt so out of it. Like he was about to drop down dead any moment. Suddenly the sound of feet moving towards them, and the blurry figure that Yoshimura had been staring at come close to Hide. Hide could tell the person was tense.

"I've bitten him!" an unfamiliar voice bellowed out. The voice was gentle, and kind of youngish. "He has my mark! He is mine! He belongs to me now!"

Hide felt dizzy. He tried to keep himself awake, but his eyes were drooping.

"W-What?" is what he thought had come from his mouth, but he was very doubtful of it.

Hide's head exploded with more noise. Arguments from the crowd. Screams and other sounds. It made Hide cry. The tears falling over his cheeks. He wasn't completely sure what was going on. He felt so tired, and he felt sick. He felt like he was about to throw up. Somebody had bitten him and then had proclaimed that Hide was his. That Hide belonged to him.

Did… did he even have the right to do that? Whatever this is?

"I… I want to go home…." Hide found himself sobbing. More hot tears rolling down his cheeks. "P-please…."

Hide felt a hand cover his face. The hand was small and gentle, it forced his eyes to shut, and an arm placed around his shoulders. Another hand pressed against the back of his neck, pressing firmly against the nape of his neck and forcing his body to fall into a deep sleep. Hide tried to struggle against the female but the female was more persist then himself.

"Oi. I'm trying to help you." The familiar voice grumbled.

Hide realized it was the girl. The girl that had captured him, and had not really wanted to give him over to Eto. He heard her sigh, before she pressed her fingers more firmly down on the nape of his neck to put him into sleep.

"Look. Blondie. Trust me. You don't want to see this." The girl said.

And then, he heard a loud scream followed by bones snapping fill the air and the next thing he knew… Hide found himself falling into darkness. His body becoming slack against the female next to him.

When Hide does eventually wake up, he feels like he never went to sleep to begin with. His body hurts. Hurts all over. It throbbed in places he wished it didn't. It makes him groan softly, and his stomach clenches with sickness. He almost does throw up, but nothing comes out. Hide is laying on his back. A blanket is over him, and he is oddly cold. His neck is stiff, and when he tried to touch the area which hurt, he found there was bandage wrapped tightly around his neck. His teeth chatter. Hide blinks his eyes open and he lays still for a few seconds. He panted softly, and tried to look around himself without moving… however he found that he had to move.

Hide let out a deep groan as he forced himself up. His body burned with pain as he sat up. The blanket falls from him, and bundles around his waist and he noticed he was naked.

He is naked.

Hide gasped and pulled at the blankets. He pulls it high, and wrapped it tightly around his shoulders. He found that it is not just his neck wrapped up with bandages, but so are his arms and legs. Hide's eyebrows pulled together, and he tried to remember. His memory is foggy and scattered. His head throbs as he tried to remember.

What had happened?

Hide shifts and looked around himself. He was alone. In a strange room. The room wasn't very big, it was pretty small. He was placed on two blankets, with a bucket in the corner. Hide started at the bucket and snorted. He reached a hand out, and ran his fingers through his thick blonde hair. He ever so slowly put the pieces back together what had happened.

He had tried to run away… run away after finding out what his parents wanted from him. They wanted to sell him away, give him to another family to be married… for the pack of the village. Hide didn't want that, so he ran. He was able to get out without being caught. It doesn't make much sense to him. He then got himself trapped in a… a crystal-like sack? A box made of crystals maybe? How? Hide wasn't sure. What were they? And why did they want him to die so badly?

Somebody had bitten him… It was the worst type of pain he had ever felt before.

Hide pressed his hand against his neck. He breathed in sharply through his nose. It hurt. He could still feel the specks of pain through his body. He was weak, and he wasn't sure if he could stand up fully. But why did they take his clothes for?

Hide awkwardly looked under the blanket. They had… tended to his wounds? Why? When they made them in the first place… Hide just didn't understand.

"Is he awake yet?" a sudden, soft voice asked.

Hide snapped his head to look at the door of the room. He could barely remembered the voice. It was in the back of his head, somewhere.

That voice… Hide felt fear.

"Not yet. He's been pretty quiet actually. He is expected to wake up sometime next week. He is human remember." Another voice replied.

It was... weird. It was strange. Both voices were eerily similar. The only differences was that one voice was shy, warm and timid while the other was much harsh, colder and emotionless.

"I know." The same shy voice meekly said.

Hide stared at the door. He had a feeling that they two men were… talking about him.

The door suddenly opened. It made a soft clank like sound as it swung open and a male stepped into the room. A familiar, yet unfamiliar man appeared. He made a deep grumble under his breath, and tiredly ran a hand through his shockingly white hair. His eyes were closed as he walked into the room.

He had a cup in his hand. He was drinking from it with his head down. He didn't even look up as he entered the room. He moved smoothly, and with a strange, scary grace. The man walked towards a table, and sat on it.

Hide blinked. It was strange. He stared at the man and felt his heart skip a beat. Fear filled him and he tried to shift further back. He couldn't stop but shiver. That face. It was the same face that had… come towards him and bitten him!

"Will you stop that?" the man suddenly said.

Hide jumped. He pulled his knees up. His eyes so wide that they burned.

The man sighed. He turned around to look at Hide with half-lidded eyes. He clicked his tongue, and tilted his head. He looked tired… annoyed.

"Stop shaking. I'm not going to hurt you." He said.

Hide gulped. He hunched his shoulders and shook his head. "Y-you won't hurt me? You already did!" he whimpered.

The white haired man sighed again. He tapped his fingers on the table before he suddenly cracked the middle finger. Hide winced. He wondered if the man had accidently broken his finger, but then it was tapping along with his other fingers.

"Not me." Was all the man said before he turned away from Hide.

Hide frowned. He opened his mouth to speak when suddenly the door opened again. Another man entered. He was the extract same height as the white haired man, only he looked smaller or skinnier. The white haired man had more muscle then this male.

He entered the room with his head down. His eyes clued to the floor. He walked meekly, and had his shoulders hunched. He looked like a terrified little cat in complete honesty. Neatly trimmed black hair hung over his face as he walked.

Hide felt his heart skip a beat. He stared at him, and suddenly knew… he knew it was the black head's fault. Everything he had been feeling, and still is, it was all that man's fault. The pain, the fear… everything.

The dark haired male lifted his head. He looked at Hide and let out a very girlish squeal of surprise. His grey eyes widened and he stepped towards the white haired male.

"Y-you said he w-wasn't awake yet!" he cried out.

The other shrugged. "He just woke up now." He said.

Hide blinked and his amber eyes bounced between the two of them. His heart was beating heavily in his chest, and his throat became dry. His fingers twitched and shook against his knees.

"Y-you… there are two of you?" Hide yelped out.

The white haired male snorted in amusement. His lips formed a smirk, and he clocked his head to the side. His messy white hair bounced around his head. "You've never seen twins before?" he asked.

Hide frowned deeply. "Twins." He repeated and looked between them again.

The shier male blushed brightly. He nervously looked down. He pressed his fists together and awkwardly moved from one foot to the other. He looked up at Hide smiled timidly. He took a small step towards the blonde.

"I-I'm glad you're awake. I w-was beginning to worry." He said timidly.

Hide stared at him. He was cute, just as the other man.

Hide started at his eyes, but then his gaze slowly dropped to the male's mouth. Automatically his brain twitched with memory. Memory of blazing silver slit eyes, and long white fangs come charging at him. The burst of pain that followed many body shook with the memory of it.

He was torn in two; on one hand he was terrified of the male… he wanted to run away as fast as he could but on the other hand, the other male looked super cute. Super sweet and innocent, Hide didn't believe the male had really bitten him… he couldn't be.

Hide blinked furiously. "I-you… you did this to me? What did you do to me?" Hide asked awkwardly.

His body screams at him not to move, but Hide couldn't stop himself. He wanted to know, and he found himself leaning forward in his curiosity.

The shy boy gulped. He trembled and walked slowly towards him. He moved like he was walking towards a scared puppy, which in a sense, Hide was. Hide leant back. He closed his eyes. He didn't want to be touched.

"Wait. Please." Hide breathed out when the male tried to touch him. "P-please don't h-hurt me again!"

Hide trembled. He lifted his arms to shield himself from the other male. He pulled his knees in, pulling them in as far as they could go. He buried his face into his knees and waited for something, anything to happen. When nothing happened, Hide lifted his head and sniffed. He blinked his watery eyes and stared blankly at the dark raven.

What?

The other male's silver eyes burned with tears. They ran down his cheeks.

Hide opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. Had he really made the male cry? He felt so much guilt. He filled his stomach and he shuddered in worry.

"I-I won't hurt y-you." The other breathed out. His voice pitched and hitched as he spoke.

Hide jumped as more tears rolled off the other's cheeks. He flushed himself and reached forward. He grabbed a hold of the closest hand to him and forced a smile up at him.

"Um. Don't cry please. I didn't mean to make you cry." He found himself blurring out in a hurry.

The dark haired male sniffed. He rubbed his now red eyes and smiled a little down at him. "I'm s-sorry that I scared you…" he trailed off.

The longer Hide stared at him, the more he realized he just couldn't stay mad at him… or scared at him. Instead he lowered his head, and shook it. "I don't understand." He muttered. Hide rubbed his hands painfully against his face. He really didn't understand. Why was he in a cage? Why had that cute, shy male bitten him? Why did it hurt so badly, like he was set on fire?

Why was he still here?

"Oh!" the dark haired man yelped. He spun around and clumsily grabbed a bundle of clothes. "H-here!"

"I b-brought you these! Y-You should put these on before you catch a cold." He squealed out.

Hide blinked his eyes. He looked up at the man and then downward when he noticed the man's face was turning redder then before. He realized why when he looked down and Hide's own face turned red. He tugged at the blanket on him in hopes that it would hide his body from the man's wondering eyes.

The man was right. He didn't want to be naked any longer… or catch a cold… or… Hide reached for the clothes. His hands shook, and he tried to take the clothes but he couldn't get a grip on them.

The other man seeing that Hide was struggling to take the clothes. He shuffled forward, and leant towards him. He stretched his arms out, and placed the buddle onto his lap.

"Oh. Thank you." Hide said softly.

Hide looked at the clothes given to him and sniffed them. They smelled… different. Hide wasn't sure what they smelt like, but he had not smelt it before. Not even once. It was new to him. Hide made a soft broken sound from the back of his throat. He pulled at the clothes, and as quickly as his body would allow him to, dressed. His shirt was double his size, but at least he was clothed. He was cold, so it was nice to be a little warmer… he guessed.

"Kuro." A familiar voice suddenly coughed.

Hide blinked again and lifted his head. He stared back at the shy man and his face turned a bright red colour in realization.

The man, Kuro?, squealed again. His hands flung upward and he covered his face. He spun around with shaky shoulders.

"S-sorry! Sorry!" he called out.

He let out a soft sigh and sat back down. He pulled at the blankets, and frowned. He had no idea what to do now.

"Now what…" he mumbled softly.

Hide stared down at his body. His eyes gazed at the bandages wrapped around his arms and legs. Hide blinked with a soft hum-like sound in confusion. Hide tried to remember what had happened, how he must have been wounded so badly but all he could remember was being bitten.

Hide's face paled. He gently touched his neck, the spot where he had been bitten.

Kuro. That was his name….?

He remembered the man moving towards him… he remembered he had pinned him down. Hide remembered Kuro biting him and as far as he was concerned, that was the only possible way he had been hurt. How his blood was drawn.

"Wait…" Hide whispered.

He was hurt. He was wounded by the other people, the crowd that had been cheering for his death. Hide remembered being pulled side to side, remembered handing grabbing at him and the pain. He wasn't sure how they had hurt him, but they had.

Hide wondered if that promoted Kuro to bite him.

Hide shook his head. He wrapped his arms tightly around his legs, and burred his face into his knees. He didn't care anymore. He just wanted to go back home. Back to his stupid cottage. It was definitely a lot better than this, being trapped in a cage for no reason.

"I just want to go home." he whimpered.

Hide jumped when soft arms gently touched his shoulders. Hide craned his head back and looked at Kuro. The other male was anxiously sitting next to him. He was chewing his bottom lip nervously, and gently hugged him.

"I-I'm sorry but y-you can't…" Kuro said softly.

Hide's breathe got trapped into his throat, and he trembled. His face grow hot, and he felt Kuro move closer to him. There was something about Kuro, Hide had no idea what it was but despite the small voice that kept reminding him that Kuro had hurt him, he couldn't help but lean further into Kuro's embrace. Kuro's smell, it relaxed him and calmed him. It was… strangely nice.

"Why can't I leave?" Hide sniffled.

Kuro didn't answer, but Hide didn't have much time to ponder it as he found himself moving closer to him. He pretty much cuddled up to the stranger's side without another thought. His breath becoming uneven, and soft.

He fell into darkness, unware of what future has in store for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah....that happened. I gave ghouls fangs. Oh well. 
> 
> I hope you all liked it. Please comment if you have time :'3


	3. Bleeding Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading, commenting, kudos and bookmarking! Thank you so-so-so much! I'm so happy!
> 
> A big thank you to my amazing beta Cloudfarer for editing this! Thank you so much!
> 
> Enjoy...I hope you like it!

Hide wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, or how long he had been asleep. Hide awoke much later with his body feeling warm all over. It was like it was the first time he had such a great night sleep. He wanted to sleep more. He had the urge to curl up tightly and sleep. His mouth was wide open with drool running over his chin. Hide blushed and tried to clean the drool off himself out of embarrassment. He blinked his blurry eyes, and rubbed them sleepily. He was still tired. He did want to go back to sleep.

"You're actually pretty cute when you sleep."

Hide almost forgotten where he was. He sat up, maybe a little too fast as he suddenly began feeling dizzy. He rubbed his eyes, and looked at the familiar person who had spoken. It was the man with shocking white hair. He was standing across from with his back pressed against the wall.

"Shiro, don't t-tease him." Kuro's sleepy voice pouted.

Hide looked over at Kuro. He had in fact forgotten about the dark haired man. Hide felt embarrassment from seeing how close Kuro was to him, from how Kuro must have been the thing he had been cuddling against and probably was the reason why he slept well.

On the other hand, Hide had to admit, Kuro looked downright cute right now. Kuro had drool on his chin with his black hair amazingly stuck up in all directions.

Shiro smirked. "Don't worry Kuro. I know that's all your job." He teased.

Kuro let out a soft squeak. His cheery-shaped face flushed red. He mumbled something under his breath and shook his head.

A few more seconds of silence filled the air. Hide stared wearily at the white haired male. Shiro and Kuro? The names matched. Hide sighed, pulling at the grey sweater he was given to wear. It was warm he guessed. It was a little ripped at the ends but at least it was soft.

It was then that he suddenly realized something was missing. His eyes widened, and became frantic. It was the only thing he brought with him.

He couldn't have lost it… right? Hide's body heated up. He could almost feel the urge to cry all over again.

"What's w-wrong? P-Please don't cry again." Kuro suddenly said worriedly.

Hide looked at him in surprise. "What?" he asked. How could Kuro know he was about cry?

Kuro tilted his head. "Your smell suddenly became d-distressed." He explained anxiously.

Shiro let out a snort which gained their attention. He pulled out the chair of the desk and sat on it backwards. He made a deep grumble and stared at the poor Omega thoughtfully.

"He is looking for his book." He suddenly said.

Hide stared at him intensely. Hide blinked once, then twice. He felt stupid. Ridiculous. Like he and the other man were having a staring contest – a horrible staring contest.

If it was possible, Shiro smirked wider than before. His dark eyes stared directly at Hide. He reached behind him to the desk and held up the text book about Ghouls.

"We have your book." He said.

Hide let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. His caramel eyes glued to the book in Shiro's hand. He anxiously waited for it. His fingers twitching with the urge and need to take his book back.

Shiro walked to the bed, but however, stopped a good foot away due to the warning growl that came from Kuro. He blinked blankly and didn't look fazed in the least at his twin brother's warning. He held the book out to Hide, but when Hide went to take it, he pulled it away.

"H-Hey." Hide frowned.

Shiro snorted. "What is your name anyway?" he asked.

Hide frowned even deeper. Was that it? He suddenly flinched when he felt the pressure around his waist tighten. He made a low sound from the back of his throat, and tried to push whatever it was away only to realize it was Kuro. Kuro whined softly, and blushed upon realizing just how tightly he was hugging the blonde. He made a soft squeak, and stumble-crawled away from Hide in embarrassment.

Kuro stumbled to his feet and held his hand in front of him. He tried his very best at ignoring his twin brother who teasingly smirked however it was obvious he failed at ignoring him, as he glared back at his brother.

"Umm." Kuro began and turned his grey eyes onto Hide. "Y-Yes. What is your name? P-Please…"

Hide blinked up at the twins. Truthfully he had never seen twins before. Back in his home, it was custom that one family is only allowed one child, so if they happen to have twins or triplets, then the children will either be separated or worse… killed. Hide was lucky his mother only birthed one child, he didn't know what he would do if he lost a brother or sister…

"Oh. I'm Hideyoshi Nagachika. Er, but I prefer to be called Hide…" He trailed off.

Kuro smiled sweetly at him. He nodded his head. "H-Hide. I like that." He mumbled more to himself then to the blonde haired Omega.

"Hide. Well you know our names." Shiro added. He placed a hand onto his chin and frowned. "But I suppose we should introduce ourselves anyway… Haise is always saying that is the polite thing to do…"

Hide frowned. He wanted to ask who this Haise was, but he found himself unwilling to ask. It was strange. They were strangers, they had kidnapped him and wouldn't let him out. One had attacked him, and hurt him but… Hide felt so comfortable with them. He felt like he's known the twins for a long time.

'What's wrong with me?' Hide wondered. It had been… well, Hide wasn't sure. From the sounds of it, he had been a sleep for a long time…

In Hide's eyes, it had only been a day or two since he met them… how can he be so comfortable with them already when it took him a year at best to get used to Akira and Amon?

"I-I'm Kaneki Kuro." Kuro introduced.

"Kaneki Shiro." Shiro added with a shrug.

The way they spoke, and the way they were so in sync with one another… and how Kuro spoke before Shiro made Hide wonder if Kuro was the eldest twin… which honestly was amusing.

"There. Now we're all friends." Shiro snorted.

"I didn't know friends locked each other up in cages." Hide said.

Shiro blinked before he smirked. He let out a small chuckle and shrugged. "Yeah… it's a bit complicated." He said, his head bobbing.

Hide bites the inside of his cheek. "Complicated?" he repeated.

"You sure like to ask a lot of questions. You will just have accept that you will understand in due time." Shiro explained with a roll of his eyes.

Hide stared at the white haired man. He kept silent and felt his eyes twitch with annoyance. That didn't answer anything. He watched as the man muttered something to Kuro before he disappeared through the beaten up wooden door. Hide grumbled, and huffed. He leant back against the wall and crossed his arms.

"I-I'm sorry about Shiro…" Kuro meekly said. He turned his attention away from the door to Hide.

Hide sighed loudly. He pulled his knees up and frowned. He shrugged at Kuro. He didn't get it. He didn't understand these people. Hide had never met somebody like Kuro or Shiro. Shiro annoyed him.

"Oh." Hide muttered and shrugged. "Can I have my book back now?"

Kuro let out a small sound and smiled. He turned around and grabbed the book from the desk. Kuro then anxiously held the book out to Hide, his sleeves falling over his hands where his tiny fingers poked out.

Hide nodded, and took his book back. He pulled it close as it was the only thing he had from home, as well as the only thing token he had of Akira. Hide knows that if he opened the cover, he will see Akira's neatly written name across it.

It was then that Hide got the horrible feeling of embarrassment. What if the twins or anybody else had looked through his book?

They would know he is a weirdo… a freak. They would know he liked to read about ghouls.

"I'm not a freak." Hide suddenly said.

Kuro blinked innocently. He pulled at the bottom of his own matching grey sweater and pouted.

"I never said you were, Hide." He said without a stutter.

Hide's lips twisted together. He curled up, and pulled his book closer to himself. Hide had grown up being called a freak, a weirdo, anything. Just because he asked about Ghouls. He loved Akira and Amon, but Hide could tell by the way they look him, they thought he was weird for being so interested in Ghouls…

Hide started at Kuro. The dark haired man looked suddenly more confident, more brave and didn't look like he was about to curl in from shyness. He stared back at Hide, stared at him in the eye and then Hide knew… Kuro had looked through the book. Kuro knows about Hide's strange fascination.

'What does he think of me now?' Hide thought. 'Wait… I've only just met him, so why do I care so much?'

Hide didn't understand himself at the moment. He was no longer scared of Kuro which wasn't right. Hide could only wonder what this man thought of him. He hated when people looked at him like some kind of freak – somebody who lived in a fantasy. Head up in the clouds, and just ignored reality. The eyes of disgust, disbelief and the sickly amusement. Hide was always looked at, and talked to like a child, no matter if he was an adult now.

"No, but I can tell what you're thinking. You have the same look of everyone else." Hide grumbled.

Kuro cocked his head to the side. "Look. What look?" he asked.

Hide sighed deeply. He closed his eyes, and rested his head against the top of his book. He felt odd. Strange. The pain had faded away. He noticed his arms and legs didn't throb anymore, however his body still cried for rest. He was sore, but not in complete pain.

"The look of somebody thinking they're superior. People always looked at me as if I was underneath them. That I'm still nothing but a child because…" Hide trailed off.

He clenched his book tighter.

"Because…?" Kuro pressed.

Hide frowned deeper. So deep that his teeth dug into his bottom lip. He tried to glare at Kuro, but found it very difficult to do so…

Instead, Hide sighed sadly. "You looked at in the book, didn't you?"

Kuro blinked once more. His lips formed a small smile, and he pressed his hands together.

"I did." Kuro admitted softly.

Hide clicked his tongue. His eyes flickered around the room. It was small, and dark. Maybe a little damp too. He sighed, and shook his head.

"I just… like…" Hide slowly said. He couldn't bring himself to say the last few words.

Kuro stepped towards Hide. He slowly walked closer to him. "You like to read about Ghouls." He said.

Hide stared back at Kuro. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, and shrugged.

"I couldn't help it." He said. "Ghouls are… interesting creatures. That doesn't make me weird though!" he snapped.

Hide's heart skipped a beat in his chest. He glared at the other man. He wanted to make his statement before he could. Before Kuro could call him a name or something. Not that Hide truly believed Kuro would make fun of him for it.

"No, it doesn't." Kuro agreed.

Kuro nodded his head. He moved to sit down in front of Hide. Kuro's fingertips were a faded, blackish color. Hide wondered if he had bruised them or something. Now he thought about it, weren't Shiro's fingertips black too? Wasn't Shiro a much darker bruised?

"So you don't think I'm a freak?" Hide asked nervously.

Kuro made a soft chuckle. His white cheeks darkened, and he smiled. "No. I-I don't think you're a freak." He said bravely.

Hide found himself grinning back at Kuro. He just couldn't stop himself. There was something about the other male, the cuter male, that Hide couldn't help it.

"So…" Hide began after a long period of silence that filled the room. "What's your… um… favourite colour?"

Hide resist the urge to slap himself. That was a stupid thing to ask his 'kidnapper' but Hide wanted to know more about Kuro. The longer he stared at the black haired man, the more his hands twitched with the urge to touch him.

"Favourite c-colour?" Kuro repeated thoughtfully. He placed a finger to his chin and clocked his head back. "Well. I g-guess I like colours like grey, o-or navy blue, or… white? I'm not completely sure."

Hide blinked. "So…gloomy colours?" he asked and fought the urge to laugh at Kuro's face. "Not that there is anything wrong with that."

"Well…w-what's your favourite colour?" Kuro pouted.

Hide grinned. He scratched at the side of his head. "Well, we don't have many colours back home, but I do like the sun and sky." He shrugged.

Kuro gapped a little. "Really? D-don't you have blue jumpers or s-something?" he asked.

"We have mostly grey clothes back home. Nothing magical or amazing. To be completely truthfully, this sweater is the brightest thing I've ever worn." Hide laughed. "And it's grey too!"

Kuro blinked before he smiled. "I l-like your laugh… y-you should laugh more often." He mumbled.

Hide found himself blushing. He hummed and nervously looked away. "O-Oh. Thanks. You should too!" he said.

Kuro laughed himself. He leant forward and grabbed a hold of Hide's hands. "Alright. W-What's your favourite coffee brand?" he asked, but the way he asked made Hide wonder how important this question is.

"Um. Coffee brand?" Hide awkwardly asked.

Kuro gasped loudly. His eyes widened and he looked more than surprised. "You don't know what coffee is?" he asked loudly.

Hide laughed nervously and shrugged. "We don't, um, have… coffee back home. I don't know what it is… sorry." he said slowly. He felt awkward in front of Kuro, especially from the look the other male was giving him.

Was it really that much of a big deal?

"Wait here!" Kuro yelped. "Anteiku has a vast selection! We have many different kinds! I'll bring you one! I'll be right back!"

Hide stared cluelessly after Kuro. He watched as the other man exited the room within a single second. He gapped a little at how fast the man had moved before he reached up and scratched at the back of head.

"What's Anteiku?" He asked the empty room and felt stupid when he got no reply. Nobody else was in the room with him…

Hide looked around the room once more. He waited, without moving a muscle for at least a few minutes and when Kuro still had not returned, he slowly stood up. He anxiously looked around himself, and found his interest peak at the closed window. It had wooden shutters that had a small hatch across it. Hide once more checked for either of the twins, before he walked towards the shutters.

His fingers trembled against the oddly freezing cold wood. They were shaking a little from something on the other side. He pulled at the hatch, and opened the shutters. It was raining. Raining quite harshly. The outside world was blurry and Hide struggled to make out a single building.

Hide pressed his fingers against the glass and noticed it was slightly cracked. He felt a little worried the glass would shatter if he put too much pressure on it. He leant closer in hopes to seeing something, but then suddenly something shot past the window. Hide let out a surprised yelped and stumbled away from the window, tripping over his feet and landing on his backside quite painfully.

He was not sure what it was, as the rain made it blur and that it moved too fast for his eyes to keep up with. However, Hide noted it was big, about the same size of himself or maybe a little smaller? Hide isn't completely sure, but what really scared him was the one glowing, fuzzy red thing attached to it. Hide felt like he had seen something similar, but he wasn't sure where…

Hide gulped. After a few seconds of just watching the rain patter against the glass, Hide anxiously got back up. He stepped back towards the window and tried to see if he could see the thing again. After a few more minutes of seeing nothing, Hide's heart beating, he closed the shutters and re-hatched them. He gulped, and shook. He hadn't been expecting something like that.

The Omega, still shaky, turned around the room. He wondered if he could hide under the blankets and wait for Kuro to return, he really wanted to see Kuro right now… how much longer did he have to wait?

'How long does it take to make… coffee?' Hide wondered to himself before flushing. 'I don't even know what coffee is.'

Hide reached up to his neck again. His gentle touched the spot where he had been bitten. Oddly, it didn't hurt anymore, instead it felt numb and warm. Kuro had bitten him, which meant he belonged to Kuro. Hide felt confusion about that. Bite mating marks hadn't be used for a long time. Hide had read all about Omegas, and how they mate. They used to bite one another, an Omega and their partner, but it had been thrown out of mating rituals a long time ago, way before Hide was born. It was thrown out because normally the biting rituals was between an Alpha and an Omega. Alphas were so rare that there hasn't been an Alpha born into the human line in a long time… Hide most definitely hasn't met any Alphas.

'There is probably more to it.' Hide thought with a shrug.

"I wonder what they did with the hunter suit." Hide muttered thoughtfully. He winced as he remembered what they had done to him when they thought he was a hunter. He anxiously wondered what they would do if they realized he really wasn't.

'Do they even know I'm an Omega?' He added to himself.

The sound of footsteps came rushing from outside the room. Hide turned to look at the door, he couldn't hear very well but he had that feeling in the pit of his stomach that the person was coming for him.

At first, he felt happy and almost giddy that maybe it was Kuro returning to him, however, Hide suddenly had a sinking feeling that maybe it wasn't Kuro at all. The footsteps grow louder and louder. It echoed up and down, filling the air.

The door swung open from unhuman strength. The door slammed into the wall, and sent an ear-shattering bang through the air. The sound of wood creaking, and the door hinges let out a scream as if they're about to fall.

"Fuck!" an unfamiliar voice yelped.

A woman.

A young woman with short familiar dark blue hair. It hung over a side of her face and hid one of her eyes. She was fiddling with the door desperately. She rubbed the back of her neck, and sighed. She turned around once she was somewhat happy with the door. She blinked her eyes and smiled awkwardly at Hide.

"Hi." She said.

Hide stared at her. He opened and then shut his mouth. He had no idea what to say to her. Who was she? And why was she here? Hide been hoping so much that it was Kuro; so seeing somebody he did not recognize or know set him on edge.

The woman held her head high. She looked perked and almost excited.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." She added. Her voice somehow held a cold, but firm tone but yet still friendly.

"It took me forever to convince Kuro to let me meet you." She rambled.

Hide's eyebrows raised to his hair line. He stared at the girl. Her words blurring in his ears. He had no idea what to say or do. He just stared and waited… waited for something, anything to happen. He wondered what she wanted, or what she was going to do.

He had admit she was very pretty. A lot prettier than the females back at his village. Hide hopped she was nicer too.

The woman finally trailed off. She gazed at Hide with dark eyes filled with curiosity. She was fascinated with him, and it scared him. Why was she so interested in him?

Hide didn't think he was anything special.

Suddenly she clicked her tongue and smirked. "Sorry, I'm not Kuro. That's who you were hoping to come through that door, right?" she teased.

Hide blushed himself. He shook his head and frowned at her. "Um. No, n-no I wasn't. You just… surprised me is all." He muttered.

The woman let out a snort. Her lips twist into a crooked smirk. She pulled at her hair and Hide noticed it was damp like she had just came out from water.

"You have a strange voice." She said.

Hide frowned. He growled a little under his breath. He crossed his arms, and glared at her in distaste. "What? You never met a British person before?" he asked.

The woman smirked wider. She shrugged. "Not really." She admitted. "I'm technically Japanese… if that still even exists I mean."

Hide let out an exhausted sigh. She was a strange person, but yet, Hide had a feeling directly in the middle of his stomach that he did not want to upset her. That she could quite easily hurt him, and probably could break his bones. Instead, he awkwardly smiled at her.

"Okay." Was all he could get out.

The woman smirked at him, and crossed her arms over her reasonable sized bust. "Don't look so scared Hideyoshi. I'm not going to do anything to you. I promised Kuro I wouldn't harm a hair on your pretty little head." She snorted with a roll of eyes.

Hide blinked furiously up at her. "How do you know my name?" he blurred out.

"Kuro told me. Duh." The woman uttered.

Hide found himself frowning. "You… You're pretty close to Kuro?" he found himself asking.

The woman looked smug. Her lips formed a wider smirk. "You could say that. Jealous?" she chuckled, almost darkly. Hide swore for a second he saw fangs poking out from her lips but when Hide tried to focus on them, they disappeared.

"I'm not jealous!" Hide snapped in return when in truth…he was.

The woman snorted. "Sure you're not. Anyway. I'm Kirishima Touka." She introduced.

'Kirishima?' Hide thought. The name was familiar. He had heard that name before.

Seeing that Hide looked confused, Touka suddenly looked awkward. She looked off to the side and pulled on a strand of loose hair. "Er, Ayato and I, my little brother, found you out in the ruins. That is how you recognize my name."

Hide gasped. Fear filled him as he remembered the two who wanted to give him to the scary woman, Eto. He remembered the blood red crystals that had somehow captured him. He couldn't help but feel his knees buckle at the thought of the woman.

"Hey!" Touka snapped in annoyance. "Don't look so terrified of me! I'm not going to hurt you! I didn't hurt you back then either!"

Hide gulped and leant away from the scary woman. Especially when the single eye that was visible flared red and black all of sudden. "Y-Your…eye." He mumbled.

Touka jumped. She slapped her hand over her eyes and blushed from embarrassment. "Oh… shit." She cursed.

"Sorry. It does that…" she shrugged. She looked like she wanted to say more but decided against it, not that Hide was that interested. She was pretty scary to him.

Hide was curious about the eye, but he was more scared of the girl to ask. Instead he mutely nodded to her.

Touka sighed. She pushed a loose raven hair behind her hair. "Well. Come on little human." She called over to Hide.

"W-What? You're taking me out?" Hide awkwardly asked. He oddly didn't want to leave. He wanted to wait for Kuro.

Touka nodded. She stared down at Hide, and placed her hands onto her hips. "Yeah. Yoshimura says you should have dinner. That you need to eat." She said.

"Dinner." Hide repeated slowly. "You make it sound like you don't eat dinner."

For dinner? Hide hoped that wasn't code word for himself being dinner. The thought sent a horrible chill down his spine. It was even creepier when the woman chuckled. Her dark eyes sparkled, like she was staring into his soul.

Touka stared at him point blankly. She looked confused, before she shrugged whatever was going through her mind off before she smirked once again. "Don't worry. You're not on the menu." She chimed.

Hide jumped when she stepped towards him and wiggled further back. He pulled his knees up and stared at the woman. He watched as she arched her back, and placed her hands onto her hips.

"Well?" she asked. She tapped her foot impatiently. Her head clocked to the side.

"Come on then!" she called out. "We'll be late if we don't get moving. Yoshimura won't like it if we're late as well as a few others…"

Hide leant further back with a shake. "No. No. N-No. I'll, I'll stay in my cage, er, room." He muttered meekly.

The woman blinked, as she had obviously not been expecting him to reject the opportunity to leave the room. The expression of surprise on her face was there for a few seconds, before it disappeared.

"Unfortunately it wasn't a request. It was an order." She said with a shrug. "And you don't want to upset Yoshimura. Trust me."

Hide still refused to move. Upset Yoshimura? From what he remembered, Yoshimura was a sweet old man… it was that woman, Eto, who terrified him the most.

Touka let out a low click-like sound with her tongue, she shook her head upon seeing that Hide wasn't going to move. She crossed her arms over her chest, and perched her lips.

"Look. You can come out willingly, or I can drag you out." She said. "Which one would you like to do?"

Hide grumbled under his breathe. He didn't want to be dragged out. It would be pretty embarrassing. In the end, Hide shook his head and slowly got to his feet.

"Good. It'll be so much easier for both you and I if you just follow me." She said.

Touka then stepped forward and grabbed Hide's arm as he tripped over his feet. She easily yanked him up back on his feet before withdrawing. It was then that Hide noticed that she, like Kuro, had light blackish fingertips. Hers were nowhere near as dark as Kuro's or Shiro's… but what did they do that bruised their fingertips so much?

Hide frowned with a huff. His nose twitched, and watched as the woman turned around fully. He stared as she began to walk, he waited a few seconds and then finally followed after her. Hide made sure there was a small distant between them.

He knew the woman wasn't lying when she said she would drag him out. However he wondered just how would she? Hide reluctantly began to follow.

"Hurry up now, little human." she called over her shoulder.

Hide gulped. He felt like he didn't want to make her angry or upset, so he ran the little distant to keep up with her. She walked with long steps. It was a little difficult to keep up.

Touka lead him out from the room. Hide glanced around himself. The room was attached to a small hallway, with a wooden shuttered window on the wall of either ends of the hallway, both ways being corners. The walls were a little better kept than the room, and painted a pale colour which looked like it was chipped and peeling off. There was a carpet on the floor, which was a pinkish colour. It was strange. It looked like a normal family house, the ones Hide would see in the old story books his mum used to read him… a long time ago. There were lamps on small tables with a few drawings stuck up the walls.

Hide paused previously to look at the a few drawings and pouted. They were very colourful. Mostly drawings of people, and red lines or shapes sticking out of them. It was a little unnerving. However Hide noticed a few drawings had a black haired person in it, and Hide felt his inside fill him upon believing it was a child's drawing of Kuro.

"Are you kidding me? You can even tell who Kuro is in a damn child's drawing?" Touka snorted.

Hide blushed and shrugged. "I don't know. I just have a feeling." He grumbled.

Hide felt his heart beat painfully in his chest. He followed Touka along the hallway. His legs wobbled under his weight but he pushed onward. He awkwardly looked around himself. It being the first time outside the room, everything was brand new to him.

It was a bit overwhelming.

Especially when somebody came running past them. It made him freeze in fear. Worried the person would pounce on him, but it never came. The person kept moving in the same direction without so much of a look at him.

"You know little human, you really should relax. Nobody will hurt you as long as Kuro is around." She said nudging his shoulder with her own. "Shiro too actually…"

Touka turned around. She walked backward, and placed her two middle fingers of both hands into her leather pockets. The smile on her face fell, and her eyes burned while staring at him.

Hide had smiled a little before frowning. Every time he felt that familiar warm feeling upon thinking of Kuro, a small voice in the back of his head had to remind him that Kuro was a stranger. Kuro had held him down and bit him, had hurt him. Hide shouldn't be so attached to him so easily.

"You have to stop that." Touka said firmly. "You should be thankful."

Hide craned his head back around to Touka. His eyes widened in confusion. His stomach clenched at the look on her face.

"T-Thankful? For what?" he asked. His voice high pitched, and cracking. "Why? He hurt me! Bit me, and then locked me away. Why should I be thankful?"

The woman narrowed her eyes. All playfulness gone, and annoyance came from her like waves.

"You don't get it." She growled. Her hands clenched. "It was for your own good."

Hide smelled a scent of… something different. He hadn't smelt it before. His Omega blood made him submit. He bowed his head and looked down. The blood rushing through his ears, and made his body twitch with the horrible sensation of worry and fear.

Touka quickly shook her head. Automatically her body relaxed, and she placed a hand to her forehead. An apologetic expression appeared on her face. She didn't mean to scare him into submission.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to." she trailed off.

Hide shrugged without looking up. "It's fine. I'm used to it." He said meekly.

Touka shifted. Her eyes widened in surprise.

Hide glanced up at her. He felt confusion from her face. He wondered why she was so shocked, so surprised? Hide swallowed a lump in his throat. He wondered why she was so shocked by his words. It was normal for an Omega to back down. Omegas weren't supposed to step out of line. Weren't supposed to speak out of term. Omegas were just supposed to breed. Give children, and take care of the home.

Why was she making it out to be a big deal when it wasn't?

It was the normal for Omegas. It was their life… and sadly, it was his life.

Hide just shrugged and shuffled his feet. "So um. Why do I have to eat with you all?" Hide asked.

Touka crushed her lips together. "Yoshimura wants you to get used to us. To living with us, you know, so you don't smell of fear all the time." She explained and held her nose to proof her point.

Touka puffed her cheeks out. She made a sound from the back of her throat. "It's really heavy Hide..." She added.

"Wait. W-why should I? I have a right t-to be a-afraid…" Hide said nervously. He kept his head down in case he upset the woman again. What was that smell? Why had it shaken him so much?

Touka sighed. She turned around and began to stalk down a long corridor. She ran a hand through her hair. There was a bright light at the edge of the corridor.

Hide gasped. He had run to catch up to her again. His eyes flickered along the long white-wood walls. There was many doors, with candles hanging on the walls. The wax only just starting to melt. Hide could smell the slight smell of burning wax.

"Because you can't leave." Touka said without looking back at him.

Hide stared at Touka's back. He paused in step, and felt his throat burn. He trembled and clenched his hand. He couldn't leave? So he really was being kept here against his will. He had been kidnapped. Hide's face paled. His heart leaped into his throat. His eyes was beginning watery at the thought of being in trapped.

"Why not?" he asked.

Touka clocked her head and frowned. She shook her head, and shrugged. "I'm not allowed to answer that." She explained almost sadly. Like she wanted to explain it but couldn't.

Hide hummed. He figured he wouldn't get an answer anyway. He shrugged. "I thought so." He muttered.

Touka sighed. "I don't get you. One moment you're all giddy about Kuro. You want to see him and shit, and the next you're scared of him. You don't want to be around him, and your smell… your smell is strong." She grumbled, and waved her hand in front of her face.

"I don't know." Hide shrugged. "I feel so happy… so giddy around him, and I want to be around him but he is a stranger. He bit me and forced horrible pain to fill me. Why should I want to be around him so much?"

Touka let out a soft yawn and Hide tried not to look so insulted over it. "It's because he is your mate." She shrugged.

"My mate?" Hide repeated.

"Right. But trust me, the last thing on Kuro's mind is hurting you. You can trust him and Shiro." Touka explained. "On second thought. You can trust all of the Kaneki's."

Hide felt his insides twist. He felt like he should believe her… inside his gut, he knew he could trust Kuro and Shiro but… who else is a 'Kaneki'? Who else is a part of the Kaneki family? Hide made a soft sound from the back of his throat.

They walked further along the hallway, Hide noticed there was strange and funny looking ornaments lined up wonky shelves. It really did look like a cozy house… a creepy house. Hide wasn't sure if he liked it or not. Despite it being kept in the best condition, the house was much more colourful, brighter and warmer than the cold little cottage he shared with his parents.

Touka lead him down a stairwell of steps. The staircase was wide, with lots of indents across the walls which ranged from tiny to massive… almost like somebody had been using hooks or something to get down the stairwell quicker. Hide brushed his fingers along the indents softly before rushing to catch up to Touka.

Finally, at the bottom of the staircase which made Hide feel a little dizzy as he looked up the stairwell. He gulped, and glanced around himself. Like the hallways he had walked through, there were lots of childish drawings stuck all over the walls. The walls were a nice blue colour with the carpet a matching baby blue colour.

"Come on little human." Touka said and walked towards double white wooden doors.

Hide awkwardly looked over her shoulder. He anxiously walked after her, and felt his stomach painfully flip. He gulped, and trailed along behind her. He watched as she pushed the door open, and allowed a bright light to stream through. Sound followed the light, many voices all mixing together. Hide's heart skipped a beat as Touka forced her way into the room, and then gestured for him to follow.

"Come on. Don't tell me you're scared." She snorted at him.

Hide frowned. Of course he was scared. Sure, he had this strange attachment with Kuro, and maybe Shiro? But he remembered the other people there. The people like Eto, who had been cheering for his death. Who wanted to… eat him?

Touka's harsh stare soften, and she let out a deep sigh. "Listen. Hide… it'll be fine, okay? Come on. Nobody will hurt you, and not just because of Kuro and Shiro. Yoshimura will protect you, and so will I… if I have too." She said with a shrug.

Hide blinked at her. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he really felt touched by her words. He flushed from embarrassment and looked away. He nodded his head a little and finally stepped after her, following after her nervously.

"Oh." Touka paused once again. She turned back to Hide, and reached with a single hand towards him. "It might help if you have your bite mark visible."

Hide flinched as she pulled the bandage back to reveal the bite mark.

"Ah. That's good." Touka muttered, more to herself then Hide. "It's healed up into a good claim mark."

Hide frowned. "Healed? I was only bitten yesterday."

Touka blinked in surprise before she tilted her head. "No. You were bitten almost two weeks ago. You only woke up three days ago." She classified.

Hide gapped in shock. "What? Two weeks? Are you serious?" he gasped.

Touka smirked. She clocked her head, and snorted. "Oh, I'm deadly serious." She said smugly.

Hide placed a hand to his forehead. Now that he thought about it, he did notice he had lost quite a bit of weight but he was still so shocked about it. That long… his parents must be beside themselves with worry… maybe.

"Also, you are human. You don't heal nearly as fast as we do." Touka added.

Hide pouted, and puffed out his cheeks. "What? You talk like you're not human." He said in confusion.

Touka blinked again in something Hide wasn't sure. She opened her mouth to say something before she shook her head, and closed her mouth.

"You know what? Never mind. Come on. Your precious Kuro is in here." She said and thumbed over her shoulder at the open doors.

Hide looked at the doors, and felt torn between fear and yet happiness. He frowned but then smiled, then frowned again. He didn't like how his moods kept switching. Hide was too busy thinking about it that he didn't notice Touka had disappeared through the doors and when he did notice, he shivered. He did not want to be left behind on his own. He wanted to know more, to demand more answers but decided to keep his mouth shut. He didn't want to be hurt more than he had already.

Hide slowly stepped in after her, and felt his body shuddered with warmth. He blinked his amber eyes, and rubbed them with his free hand. The sound of voices filled the air. Hide swallowed a thick lump in his throat, and nervously looked around the place.

It was a hall. A large hall with long wooden tables. Stools were littered around the table. It was very similar to the lunch halls back in school. There were lanterns littered around the room, placed on the tables. There was a strange looking fire place on the other side of the hall. Other than that, it wouldn't look so scary if it weren't for all the people in the hall.

Lots of people laughing, talking and having a good time. It was a strange thing to see.

Hide felt his knees wobble underneath him. His heart froze in his chest upon seeing a few people looking over him. He almost stumbled backward, wanting to return the room where he felt like it was much safer. He almost did if, Touka hadn't grab his shoulder in such a tight, monsterous grip. So tight that Hide winced.

Touka dragged him further into the hall. Hide's heart beat painfully and he tried to ignore the looks he was gaining from the people they passed. At least many of them didn't care much to pause whatever they were doing, but a few did. It was rather scary… and made him feel uneasy.

The female – with a strong tug – pulled him straight to a table and flung him down. She pressed her hands firmly on his shoulders to prevent him from getting back up again.

"You! Stay here!" she ordered.

Hide nodded. "A-alright." He said meekly.

Touka nodded. She sent a look at the others around them before she turned and disappeared through the sea of people. Hide tried to keep her in his eyesight, but quickly lost her.

"That's the human."

"Yeah. He smells. I can't believe little Kuro claimed him."

Hide frowned deeper. He kept his head down as he listened to the voices whispering. Hide gulped, and pressed his hands together on his lap. He wished Touka would return quickly… she said Kuro was in this hall but he doesn't see him…

"Hello." A soft, sweet voice said.

Hide jumped as at first he didn't believe the voice was directed at him but when he felt a tiny hand touch him on the shoulder, Hide swung his head around. A small girl. Well… not small but a female younger than himself stood behind him. She had short curls of brown with matching amber eyes. Hide blinked confusingly at her.

"Hi…" Hide replied quietly.

The girl smiled brightly. She brushed down her skirt and then sat down across from him. She reached his shoulder.

"Hide? Yes?" she asked and giggled when Hide looked confused. "Big brother told me. He said your name is Hide. Big sister asked me to come keep you company, as you looked scared. So, here I am."

Hide stared at her. "You mean… Kuro and Touka?" he asked.

The girl nodded. "We're not actually related, but we're very close. We're like a family." She said happily. Her amber eyes flickered with sadness and then happiness. Whatever she was thinking, Hide could tell was very precious to her.

"My name is Hinami Fueguchi." She added sweetly.

Hide grinned at her. "Nice to meet you Hinami." He said.

Hinami made a soft giggle and bounced on the stool. She turned around on the stool, and sniffed at him a little. "I'm glad you woke up. We all live peacefully here. Not much happens. Well… you did cause a ruckus last week." She said softly.

"I'm sorry." Hide found himself saying. He wasn't sure what else he could say other than that. The way Hinami spoke made him feel guilty.

Hinami shook her head. "Don't say sorry. I'm glad. You made big brother happy. He hasn't stopped smiling." She said thoughtfully.

Hide nodded his head numbly. He wasn't sure what else to say. He felt happy to know that Kuro hadn't stopped smiling… happy that he made Kuro happy. Oddly, he found himself smiling with a glowing face. He nervously kept his head with a low hum.

"H-Hide!"

Hide turned his head in time to see a familiar face. Immediately his heart skipped a beat and he felt his lips form a small smile. He watched as Kuro appeared, his cheery face flushed pink with his shoulders hunched.

Kuro scrambled to sit down next to Hide. He held two white china cups, he breathed in deeply and then placed one in front of Hide.

"Y-you're okay? Touka didn't hurt you?" he squealed out worriedly.

Hide blinked. He turned his attention away from the strange dark liquid filled cup. "No. She didn't hurt me, but she did scare me…" he said and smiled as Kuro let out a breath of relief.

"I couldn't say no. She t-threated that if I didn't let her come m-meet you, then I would have more shifts." Kuro explained anxiously.

Hide frowned. He wanted to ask what he meant by shifts but chose against it. Something inside him told him he didn't want to know. Instead, Hide grinned comforting at Kuro and leant towards him. Without thought, he patted Kuro on the head.

Kuro blinked once and then twice, he looked owlishly at Hide before he smiled. "You're r-really okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine Kuro. I don't know why you were so worried in the first place." Hide shrugged. However, the truth is, he knew why Kuro was worried… Touka was scary as shit.

"Big brother." Hinami giggled. "You're pretty protective."

Kuro blushed brightly. "N-no I'm not." He huffed

Hinami giggled more and shook her head.

Hide hummed to himself. He looked down at the cup in front of him and reached for the cup in thought. He had never seen a drink like it, it was pitch black with steam coming from it. Hide sniffed it, and noticed it smelled… strange.

"Big brother… why is he looking at it like that?" Hinami whispered… or tried to whisper but Hide heard her voice rather loudly.

Kuro laughed sheepishly. He sent Hide an apologetic look. "Um. Well, Hide d-doesn't have coffee back at his o-old home…" he explained softly. He winced as he spoke the word 'old' and shyly glanced at Hide.

"What?" Hinami gasped with large eyes. "No coffee? That must be awful!"

Hide looked up from the drink and let out a soft laugh. "Yeah… it was pretty awful…" he said.

"So, this is coffee?" Hide asked and lifted the cup. His nose twitched from the smell from the coffee. It is different.

Kuro smiled sheepishly and let out a soft laugh. He nodded his head, and slide closer to the blonde. "Yeah. It tastes really good… well, we like it, but you might think it tastes a little s-strong." Kuro explained, and lifted his own cup.

Hide watched as Kuro took a large mouth gulp before he returned his eyes to his own drink. After a few more seconds, Hide lifted the cup to his mouth and slowly took a small sip. Immediately, he felt his body shudder and he let out a sound.

"It's bitter!" Hide said loudly.

Kuro laughed while Hinami giggled. The black haired man took another gulp of his own coffee. "Yes. It's b-bitter."

Hide frowned. Especially when he noticed Hinami was drinking coffee again, and like Kuro, she didn't seem trouble with how hot the drink is. Hide had burned his tongue, and couldn't take big gulps of the drink like the other two could.

'They must have taste buds of steel.' Hide thought.

"You'll get used to it." Kuro said softly and Hide noticed his own cup was empty.

That was fast… It will take Hide quite some time to drink his own…it was way too hot for him. His face scrunched in distaste, and he wondered if he would really get used to it? When Hide awkwardly checked around himself, he noticed almost everyone was drinking coffee or something else that Hide did not even want to try… as the people who was drinking the other drink looked off.

"What is that?" Hide asked softly.

Kuro blinked cutely and glanced back over his shoulder to peer at the other people. "Oh. You mean alcohol? We either have coffee or alcohol… some of us like to get drunk…" he explained with a small shrug.

"Just coffee and alcohol. What about water?" Hide said.

"Well, other drinks are pretty hard to come by." Kuro said with another shrug. He smiled sweetly and flushed a little, he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "But I can get you w-water if you want some."

Hide frowned to himself. He rubbed his chin and made a soft sound from the back of his throat. Why were drinks hard to come by? Back home, in De Hakoiri they had all kind of drinks from water to milk… it was odd that this place only had coffee, alcohol and water maybe. They didn't have alcohol back in De Hakoiri so Hide wasn't completely sure what it was but he did not want to try… judging from the people drinking it.

"Okay… thank you Kuro." Hide nodded his head but still kept trying to drink the drink given to him. Coffee.

Kuro practically beamed. He looked almost like a puppy.

Hide's stomach growled, reminding him of how hungry he was. Hide's face turned a bright red colour, especially from the looks he received from Kuro and Hinami. He hunched his shoulder, and let out a nervous laugh.

"You're h-hungry? I'll go get you some food!" Kuro gasped out.

Kuro looked pretty horrified that he hadn't thought of feeding Hide before. He moved to stand, when a hand easily pushed him back down into his stool. Kuro sat down with his back straight, blinked a few times almost in confusion.

"Here." Touka's familiar voice said. She placed a bowl in front of Hide before she walked to sit next to Hinami.

Hide stared down at the bowel in thought. It was fruit. A few apples, and grapes. That was it. Fruit. Hide made a soft sound from the back of his throat, and looked at the scary woman. His lips twitched.

"Oh. Thank you Touka!" he grinned.

Touka blinked, and flushed a little. She shrugged and bowelled at her own bowl. "It was nothing." She grumbled.

Hide's mouth watered, and plucked a grape into his mouth. He moaned from the taste as it was the best he had ever had. De Hakoiri's fruit wasn't nearly as good as this.

"Oi!" Touka grumbled. "Don't tell me you're jealous!"

Kuro yelped as Touka kicked him under the table. He blushed, and huffed. "N-no… I'm not jealous!" he whined before shrugging. "Well maybe a l-little." He admitted shyly.

Hide swallowed the grape, and cocked his head to the side. "You're jealous because Touka got me food?" he asked with a soft chuckle.

"It's because he is your mate, so in his eyes, he should be the one to take care of you. Basically, be the one to get you food." Touka snorted with a roll of her eyes. "Also the one to make you feel good at night or day, which ever tickles you I guess."

"Oh." Hide blushed and awkwardly laughed.

Kuro squealed in pure embarrassment. "T-Touka!" he whined and covered his face.

"Big sister, you're so mean." Hinami giggled, and made Touka smirk.

Hide hummed to himself. Just hearing that, knowing that Kuro wanted to take care of him – wanted to give him food and was upset that Touka had done it instead… made Hide feel happy… sort off. He felt his face heat up, and sighed deeply. It was rather overwhelming, to feel so many emotions in one day. Some emotions Hide was experiencing for the first time.

The Omega reached for another grape when he noticed that the others didn't exactly have food in their own bowls. He felt his curiosity spick upon seeing a strange red and brownish slush inside with different sizes chunks of strange meat. When Hide leant to close to Kuro's bowl, he got a strange smell that immediately made him lose his appetite.

"What is that? It smells…" Hide asked, and felt his insides twitch with sickness.

Before Kuro could explain, Touka made a deep sound and shrugged her shoulders. "Trust me. You don't want to know." She said with a dark tone of voice. It took Hide awhile to realize she wasn't growling at him, but at something behind him.

Touka's eyes flared blood red and black, before returning to normal. She let out another hiss before settling back down on her stool. Hide checked over his shoulder only to see the back of a person rushing away from them. He frowned in confusion and scratched at the back of his head.

Hide looked at Kuro worriedly. His eyebrows pulled together. "But… what was that all about?" he asked in concern.

"Umm. D-don't worry about it." Kuro mumbled softly, and leant towards Hide.

Hide sighed to himself. He frowned as he realized Kuro, and Touka avoided answering any of his questions. He also was beginning to wonder why these people's eyes would turn a scary red and black. The first time Hide had seen it, he had thought it was his mind play tricks on him, and then he thought it was a trick of lights… this time, he had seen Touka's eyes go red and black without anything else in the way. He wanted to ask, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out.

Suddenly voices began bouncing around the large hall. Noise filled the air, and ruckus came from the left side of the hall. Voices of female and males screaming, wailing and cheering. The sound of thundering footsteps echoed through the air.

Hide blinked a little, and turned towards the ruckus. He felt like his heart drop to his stomach. It was that woman again. The one with green hair, who had wanted to cut his head off and had been rather gleefully happy at the thought of it. He felt his stomach clench painfully.

"Um… what's going on?" Hide asked.

He stared at the woman, Eto, and watched as her very appearance in the hall brought on a lot of excitement. She stood with her head held high, and unlike last time, her green hair was pulled up into a high pony-tail. Her clothes looked a lot better, like she was going out or had just came back from somewhere. Bundled around her neck was a mask, Hide wondered, he wasn't completely sure.

"They're getting ready for a recon mission." Hinami explained.

"Recon mission?" Hide asked.

Eto wasn't alone. She had a group of other people with her. All of them wore the same black and grey leather clothes. All of them matching, and looking like they're dressed to merge in with the darkness. It was difficult for Hide to tell who the people were with her, as they all wore strange masks. A man with purple hair, another with black hair pulled back into a high ponytail, another with long purple-ish hair and many more.

"Wait." Hide began. "Is that Shiro?"

If it wasn't for the shocking white hair, Hide might not have recognized the other twin. He could see Shiro leaning against the wall behind the group. His head was arched downward with his arms crossed over his chest, and on his face was a pretty cool but creepy mask. It covered most of his face, and an eye patch over his eye. There was a large, fake toothy grin on the mask.

"Y-Yeah. Shiro is a part of Eto's group." Kuro muttered with a tiny frown.

Hide's caramel eyes moved from Shiro to Kuro. Form the sounds of it, Kuro didn't like that Shiro was a part of Eto's group. When Hide looked at Kuro, he noticed the dark haired man was more scared and worried for his brother.

"Where are they going?" Hide asked.

Kuro frowned. "…W-we have trouble w-with other groups. It's Eto's g-group's job to deal with things like t-that…" he explained with a soft whimper. "But d-don't worry about that."

Hide nodded. He tapped his fingers together, and looked back at Shiro in thought. He wondered about these other groups. He wanted to ask how Eto and her group deals with them but chose to respect Kuro as he didn't look like he wanted to talk about it.

"Kuro. Can we go back to our room?" Hide asked instead. He didn't realize he had said 'we' and 'our'.

Kuro looked surprised but he smiled. "Are you s-sure? Don't you want to eat anything else?" he asked worriedly upon seeing how little Hide had eaten.

Hide smiled at him, and shook his head. "…Honestly I'm not hungry anymore…." Hide admitted sheepishly. He rubbed the back of his neck.

Kuro looked like he wanted to protest but he decided not to fight the Omega and nodded. "Alright Hide. Let's go back to o-our r-room." He said softly and got to his feet. He sent one more look back at his twin before he held his hand out to Hide.

Hide stared at the hand for a few seconds before he finally grabbed a hold of Kuro's hand. He gasped when Kuro easily pulled him up without so much of a struggle. Kuro looked weaker then Hide, but he had the strength to easily pull him up.

"Whoa." Hide laughed.

Kuro smiled brightly at him, and gripped Hide's hand tighter. "Sorry. I forget how strong I am." He said with a gentle, cute laugh.

Hide smiled in return and nodded his head slowly.

Touka snorted at the two of them, and rolled her eyes. "Well. Guess we'll see you later. Don't forget to use protection." She said almost bored.

Hinami blushed. "Oh big sister." She giggled.

Hide chuckled with his cheeks already dark. He let out a small laugh, and looked off to the side. He listened briefly as Kuro made his own sound of embarrassment. It was then that Hide felt like eyes were on him, and when he checked, he noticed eyes were on him. He felt awkward, and tried to avoid looking at anybody directly in the eye. Instead, Hide looked down at his feet and shuffled closer to Kuro.

"Kuro. Why do people keep staring at me?" he whispered nervously.

Kuro owlishly blinked before his eyes narrowed. He looked away from Touka, and peered around the hall before he returned his attention to Hide. He stepped closer to him, and smiled.

"It's alright Hide." Kuro stated deeply. "They're just curious about you. Nothing else."

Hide nodded. That made sense to him. He nervously looked back around the hall, and to his relief found many of the staring people had gone back to minding their business. Everyone but one person, he locked eyes with the sliver eyes before Shiro closed his eyes and looked away.

"Can we go now?" Hide finally asked. He really wanted to leave, to get out of the hall. He felt his insides burned with anxiety, and worry.

Kuro nodded and behind Hide's back, his own eyes burned red and black. He sent a warning look at anybody was still looking at the blonde before they returned to his gentle grey eyes. He smiled softly, and tugged on Hide's hand.

"O-okay. Let's go then." Kuro hummed sweetly.

Kuro nodded to his two female friends, and then he led Hide out of the hall. He pulled the blonde along behind him.

Hide nervously peered back over his shoulder. He let out a breath of relief as the door shut behind them. He kept his head down, and chewed his bottom lip. He was confused as to why everyone was so interested in him… why everyone kept staring at him and… what was the deal with their eyes?

'Are… are they're not human?' Hide wondered.

Hide nibbled his bottom lip in wonder. If they weren't human, then what were they? Hide felt a familiar sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he knew what they were but couldn't put his finger on it…

"Kuro."

The two paused at the familiar voice. Hide blinked a little, and turned his head around to look at the figure walking after them.

"O-oh. Shiro." Kuro called in return. He bowed his head at his twin, and his grey eyes flickered with wonder. Hide guessed it wasn't a normal thing for his twin to come find him before going for the recon mission.

Shiro mutely nodded. His silver eyes flickered. "Kuro. I need to talk to you before I leave." He said firmly.

Kuro looked surprised. He made a soft sound from the back of his throat, and nodded his head. He turned to Hide. "Y-you go on ahead, I'll be back soon." He said and then comfortingly squeezed Hide's hand one last time.

Hide mutely nodded, and peered between Kuro and Shiro. This time, unlike back in the hall, Shiro had his mask around his neck rather than covering his face. Hide realized Kuro had taken him all the way back to the bedroom. Hide watched as Kuro walked towards his twin, Shiro muttered something to him which made Kuro nod and then the pair disappeared down the hallway.

Hide breathed in sharply and shook his head. He then turned around and pushed the door open to enter the familiar looking room.

"Oh." Hide said. He wasn't expecting to see anybody in the room.

A man. A man that was at least a year or two older then himself, and the twins. He was sitting on the single bed, with his body slightly arched over. He wore clean and tidy clothes. A little smarter than the clothes Kuro wore, and nowhere near as dark as the clothes Shiro wore. His hair was curly, and neatly trimmed.

He heard Hide come in, and lifted his head. He blinked a little, before he smiled rather goofily. Hide felt his heart skip a beat. The man shared the same similar face of the twins. Black and white curls framed his familiar sliver eyes.

"Ah. Sorry. I wasn't expecting you to be back so soon." The man chuckled, and stood up from the bed. He held something in his hands. "It's rather… interesting. Your book, I mean." The man added. He looked down at the familiar book, and made a click sound with his tongue.

Hide felt his body heat up upon seeing the man holding his precious book. He wanted to take his book back, but held back. He awkwardly shifted on the balls of his feet.

"I mean most of it is wrong. But it's an interesting read." The man shrugged and held it out to him.

Hide's eyes widened, and he frowned deeply. He reached for the book, and all but snatched it from him. He held it close to his chest and eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

"What?" Hide asked. "What do you mean it's wrong?"

The man chuckled. He stood with his back straight, and pushed his hands into his pockets. He reminded Hide of his old school professors only a lot kinder, warmer and gentler.

"I mean it's wrong. Whoever wrote it doesn't know half of the true facts. I would say the only thing that is right in that book, is the breeds. Alphas are more common in them, and they can be more aggressive but only if threatened and only if their mate is threatened. They're actually more protective than anything else." He explained. "If you really want to know more about them, you can have a look at the real text-books we have."

Hide frowned deeper. "The way you talk, it's almost like you know first-hand…" Hide muttered.

The man let out a chuckle. "Well, wouldn't you say the book is wrong now? You've spent the day with us, so you surely should have some different opinions on the book by now." He said.

Hide's eyebrows pulled together. He awkwardly stepped further away from the man, he was confusing him. The way he spoke about them was almost like he was a…

"What's your name?" Hide asked.

The man smirked down at Hide, and clocked his head to the side. "I'm Haise. Kaneki Sasaki Haise. You've gained the attention of my little brothers." He said and peered closer at Hide's face. "And I can certainly see why now."

Hide felt his face become redder from embarrassment. He stepped further back from the man, Haise. He gulped, and tightened his fingers around the book.

"H-Haise? Nice to meet you then…" Hide breathed out. "But the way you talk about-about this is almost like you're…"

"A Ghoul? Yes. I am, and so is everyone else here…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, it starts with Kuro/Hide due to the fact Kuro was the one who had bit Hide. Shiro does have an interest too, but he'll take more actions soon~ Haise! Yay! I love Haise! Hide will eventually be with them all~ I love it. Hide didn't realize they were ghouls at first, but now he does! 
> 
> I hope you all like it!


	4. Four Leaves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading, commenting, kudos and bookmarking! Thank you so-so-so much! I'm so happy! Sorry about the long wait! I had university to deal with! It's my final year, which means my final project! GASP but I graduate soon! Yay me!
> 
> A big thank you to my amazing beta Cloudfarer for editing this! Thank you so much!
> 
> Enjoy...I hope you like it!

The surprisingly hot water felt good.

Hide wanted to wither away in the bath. He almost wanted to duck his head under the water, and not come back up again… however, he had a feeling that wouldn't end well. At all. The air was thick with something that caused the hairs on his body stand up on end.

At first, he could hear the muffled voices of the… ghouls… outside, but recently the voices stopped. Hide wondered briefly if that meant Kuro and Haise was no longer out there. But then he realized that that was a rather stupid thought. Hide highly doubted Kuro would leave him on his own now.

…Ghouls?

Hide couldn't believe it, the fact that everyone was a ghoul. They were completely different to what the government had him – and everyone else – believe. He was confused, but afraid. His stomach twisted in an awful clench.

How was he supposed to process this?

'I'm… I'm… Kuro's a ghoul…' Hide thought.

He was mated to a ghoul.

If everything the commissions of hunters had told him was wrong then… then what is a ghoul?

Then Hide remembered that horrific night where he had run into the ghouls. Yoshimura had talked about the pack, the agreement that had been broken by Hide's presence. What agreement was Yoshimura talking about? An agreement between ghouls and humans then?

And Shiro too. Hide remembered Kuro had said Shiro was a part of Eto's group when talking to other clans; does that mean there are more ghouls? Other ghouls outside… whatever this place was?

They had wanted him dead; they wanted to send the humans his head as a warning…

Hide was just so confused.

He softly whimpered, then shook his head, before runing a shaky hand through his wet hair. He felt tired. Hide wished he could just close his eyes and be back home in his bed.

Hide slipped back into the hot water. He shuddered as it washed over his body again. He honestly had no idea how long he had been in the bath, but when he looked at his hands, he found his skin was wrinkled up. Hide grimaced. He had to get out, obviously, but he really didn't want too.

Hide wasn't ready to confront everything. This was his life now, though he really wasn't sure if could get out of this.

Kuro probably wouldn't let him go…

Why couldn't Kuro have just helped Hide get away? Why did he have to mark him? And keep him here against his will? Or was it against his will? Hide really wasn't sure anymore, but he was scared; he really was scared of finding out about this… finding out about ghouls…

Hide groaned. He ran his hands down his face, and rubbed his temples. It was too much. He felt overwhelmed.

Hide turned to look at the neat buddle of clothes he was given. After they had got over their surprise of him not realizing they were ghouls, Haise had given him clothes to sleep in and then literally thrown him into the bathroom to 'relax' as he had said.

Haise had wanted to talk with Kuro, obviously. Hide had heard some of the conversation before the voices disappeared.

After a few more minutes, Hide realized he had to climb out the bath when the water began to get cold. Hide didn't want to get a cold, even though his defensive system was crap anyway. Still, he shrugged and climbed out of the water with shaky legs. Hide peered down at him, and noticed a few bruises had appeared on his arms and legs. Probably from his little hike through the forest. Hide remembered he had been out of it for almost two weeks; which meant the bruises must have been pretty bad at first.

Hide dressed in the soft clothes. Like the other clothes he was given, Hide was immediately able to tell they belonged to Kuro. Smell alone made him feel… oddly calmer. However, Hide choose not to pay it any attention. He shook his head, and nervously turned to look at the chipped white painted door.

It took a pathetic minute for Hide to gather his nerves and turn the door handle. He wanted to slap himself for being so ridiculous, but he did it. He somewhat bravely pushed the door opened and poked his head into the familiar room that had become his…

"Hi!"

Hide jumped in surprise. He hadn't been expecting somebody to jump into his face.

A girl. A young beautiful female smiled brightly. Her eyes glowed warmly as she looked at Hide. She took a step away and tilted her head. She had short golden hair that hung cutely around her face, she wore pale pink pajamas with small white butterflies imprinted on them. To match the butterflies, she also had pink rabbit slippers on.

"H-hello…" Hide mumbled softly.

The pink bunny girl smiled sweetly. "I'm Yoriko. It's great to meet you Hide!" she said cheerfully.

Yoriko bounced on her feet, making Hide realize she had a pink ribbon in her hair that was tied into a pair of two pink rabbit ears. The ribbon-rabbit ears bounced along with her movement.

Overall Yoriko looked like sugar had thrown up on her.

"Oh. Nice to, um, meet you too Yoriko…" Hide awkwardly said.

Yoriko let out a cute laugh. "Touka asked me to come and spend time with you!" she explained.

Hide blinked at her. "T-Touka?" he mumbled and felt a cold sting run through him at the mention of the scary girl.

Touka knew…? Touka knew that he didn't know about Kuro, her and the other people being ghouls… how embarrassing.

"I'm human. Like you." Yoriko explained with a small shrug.

Hide gasped softly. "Wait. You're a human? N-not a ghoul?"

Hide's heart skipped a beat at that thought. He stared back at the girl. She looked about his age, maybe a year younger actually and she looked so very happy… why? Hide didn't understand.

Almost like she could read his mind, Yoriko took his hands and dragged him to the bed. She plopped onto the blankets and grinned widely up at him.

"Yeah. I'm a human." She began and tilted her head back. She pulled back a few golden curls to reveal a similar circle-like bite mark. "Touka's my mate."

Hide stared. "Touka's your mate?" he asked in surprise.

Yoriko nodded. "Touka saved me when I was younger. We met when we were 9, or well, I was 9 and she was 10. My village had thrown me out, because I presented as an Omega." She explained sweetly.

"You're an Omega too?" Hide interrupted shyly. "They th-throw you out for being an Omega? W-what village were you from?"

Yoriko let out a gentle laugh. She shook her head, and reached into the pink pocket of her button up shirt. She pulled out a deck of cards that had rabbits drawn cutely on the back of them. It made Hide wonder if rabbits were her favorite animal or something?

"Do yah want to play?" Yoriko offered with a cute smile. She shuffled them playfully in her hands, and bounced her golden eyebrows. "I'll go easy on yah! I won't even bet against yah!"

Hide snorted with a soft laugh under his breathe. "You'll bet against me?" he mumbled softly.

Yoriko shrugged. "I'm a bit of a legend around here." She grinned.

"A legend, huh?" he chuckled.

Yoriko winked. She then looked down at the cards in her hands, and took sixteen cards. Yoriko then split them before she handed him eight of the sixteen cards.

"You know how to play right?" Yoriko asked. She peered at him through her golden hairs as she spoke.

Hide gulped. He looked down at the cards in his hands. "Um… sort of…" he said.

Yoriko sent him a pointed look to which Hide held his hands up in submission. She smiled brightly, and placed the rest of the cards in the middle of the bed. She shuffled onto her knees, and straightened out her back.

"Okay. I am an Omega, I've always been an Omega, and yes, I was kicked out of the village because I was an Omega. I was also a late bloomer which also added onto their disappointment." She shrugged. Yoriko looked at her cards, and smirked to herself. "My village was named Za Harnis. Where did you come from?"

"…I came from De Hakoiri. I-I didn't know there was other villages other than De Hakoiri." Hide explained softly.

Yoriko clicked her tongue. She nodded. "Yeah. There are actually a few human villages around, but I've never heard of De Hakoiri before. How do they treat Omegas there?" she asked cutely.

"…Um…p-probably the same as in Za Harnis." Hide said.

Yoriko nodded her head again. She looked rather distraught at the words, however, she smiled up at him. "I'm happy here though. They don't treat Omegas like dirt." She said.

"Really?" Hide said in surprise.

He couldn't believe it. It felt… weird. Strange to understand. Ghouls…treated Omegas better than humans?

Yoriko let out a laugh. "Yes." She said.

Hide's eyes widened. His face flushed red upon realizing he had spoken out loud rather than thinking it.

"Ghouls care more about Omegas, and treat them better. Ghouls believe Omegas can do more, and be more than just a breeder, unlike Humans." Yoriko rolled her eyes as she spoke. She snorted loudly to herself and Hide expected she was thinking of something that really upset her. "They find humans who think that disgusting."

Hide gulped. He chewed his bottom lip.

"You're an Omega too, right?" Yoriko asked. "Why did you run away from De Hakoiri?"

Hide gapped softly. Hide wasn't sure how he felt that a stranger knew so much about him, even if said stranger was a kind and sweet Omega, human girl like Yoriko. Hide wasn't used to it.

"…My um, parents were going to marry me off…" Hide mumbled softly. "I-I didn't want to be married to some stranger… and be bred. I wanted to… to… I really don't know, I just… didn't want to marry somebody I didn't know and would have me under their thumb."

Yoriko nodded. "You know, Kuro had no idea you were an Omega. You should have seen his face when Touka told him you were obviously an Omega! Poor Kuro, I've never seen him so red before." She giggled.

Hide blushed. He looked down bashfully. "O-oh. Well, I'm not a hunter… I guess that's pretty obvious." He said with a dry laugh.

"Yeah. After realizing you were an Omega, it was pretty clear that you weren't a hunter, but were probably using the suit as a disguise to get away from wherever you came from." Yoriko explained. "Kuro was very relieved at that. He was willing to ignore the fact you were a hunter, but he was actually so happy to find out you weren't one of those hunters."

Hide nodded slowly, and gulped softly. "R-really?" Hide mumbled softly.

He was scared that Kuro was a ghoul, but at the same time… he felt so warm and fuzz to know Kuro would have willingly overlooked that he was hunter because… Kuro killed him. Hide felt his cheeks darken.

Yoriko smirked cutely. She observed the way Hide's face darkened, and it amused her.

The two Omegas end up playing numerous games. All of which Yoriko somehow won. It ended up making Hide feel a little frustrated that he couldn't beat Yoriko just once. No matter what they played, crazy eights, rummy, war, solitaire, or even blackjack, Yoriko won them all and took it with pride.

"Again…" Hide groaned.

Yoriko smirked. She held the cards down and cheered. "Now you see my boy, why I! Yoriko! Am a legend!" she laughed.

Hide chuckled. He held his hands up. "Alright Yoriko. You are legendary." He teased.

Yoriko stuck her nose in the air. She stuck her tongue out in victory.

"If you're an Omega, does that mean Touka is an Alpha?" Hide asked timidly.

Yoriko hummed loudly. She pressed a finger to her chin, as she took out more cards. "Yup. She's one of the bravest female Alphas too. She goes on patrol around Anteiku." She said with a gentle sigh of admire.

Yoriko suddenly had this 'dreamy' like glint within her eyes as she thought of Touka.

"Anteiku?" Hide repeated.

He remembered Kuro having mentioned that before. Hide never had a chance to ask him about it.

"That's the name of our clan. Yoshimura runs Anteiku." Yoriko said. "Anteiku is a clan for ghouls that have nowhere else to go."

"So are there, um, other couples like… u-us?" Hide meekly asked. His voice becoming quieter as he asked.

Yoriko looked up from the cards after looking through them. "Um… not really. Other than you and I, there is one other." She explained softly. "You'll get to meet Kimi letter! She's real nice, and I'm sure you'll like her too!"

Hide stared at her as he listened her ramble on. He clicked his tongue and mutely nodded in understand. So there is another human here… he wondered if this Kimi is an Omega too?

"Is it true…" Hide asked slowly. His face darkened when Yoriko sent him a puzzled look. "y-you know… about, err, female alphas…"

Yoriko grinned widely. She leant forward. "You mean if when aroused, the alpha's clitoris becomes a retractable penis instead?" she purred out.

Yoriko throw her head back and cackled loudly. "Oh my god. Your face!" she squealed with laughter.

Hide flushed even redder. He covered his face with both hands. "Look! I was just curious!" he whined.

Yoriko giggled furiously. "Technically no. It isn't. But then again, it is!" she smiled brightly. "Female ghoul alphas, yeah; human female alphas, nah." She said.

Hide slowly nodded. "It… um… makes senses… c-considering…" he trailed off.

"That male Omegas are able to develop milk for their off spring? Yeah, that's true too." Yoriko shrugged.

Hide sighed. He let out a soft groan. "Breeders have it hard." He muttered. "So, um… is K-Kuro an Alpha then?"

Yoriko laughed. "You really didn't know? Of course, Kuro is an Alpha. All the Kaneki's are Alphas. I don't think any of the Kaneki's has ever had a Beta or Omega offspring before. They're always Alphas." She said thoughtfully.

Hide's face became red as he thought of Kuro being an Alpha, and then the thought of having children passed through his mind. Hide shook his head to clear the thoughts. It was so embarrassing because Hide had never had such thoughts before. The thoughts were too overwhelming.

"So! Have you ever played Exploding Kittens before?" Yoriko asked.

Hide blinked once and then twice. "Um. No… I-I don't think so…" Hide said.

Yoriko grinned. "Then! I'm about to introduce you to something magical!" she squealed happily.

The game was… something. Hide caught on after a while, getting the hang of it, but also lost to the legendary Yoriko. It was interesting… they ended up having small talk. It wasn't anything big, just small talk. Mostly on why Yoriko loves rabbits the most, and why rabbits were all over her. Yoriko told him butterflies were her favorite animal, while rabbits were Touka's favorite.

Yoriko had even teasingly told him that one anniversary the two had, she had dressed up as a 'sexy' bunny rabbit girl while Touka had been a 'sexy' butterfly girl. Hide had told her that was too much information for him, which made Yoriko laugh again.

Hide didn't want to think what Touka would say if she ever found out Yoriko had told him all this embarrassing things.

"Ghouls aren't bad, you know." Yoriko suddenly said sweetly after she had forced him to pick an exploding kitten up and successfully winning again.

Hide looked up at her. "… I… I don't know…" he said after a few minutes of silence.

Yoriko sighed softly. She smiled a little at him. "Humans, they want us to believe Ghouls are these inhuman creatures that have no remorse for anything, and just go around blindly killing things. They want us to believe that all Ghouls are after one thing, that's to kill us. It's not true. Anteiku is a place for Ghouls that have a different mindset than that. Ghouls like Touka – who loves humans – who loves me!" she said with an almost desperate pitch. And Kuro, who loves you."

Hide blinked. "L-love? Haha. We've only just met, Yoriko." He said awkwardly.

Yoriko shrugged. "Well, you are mated now. You have Kuro's bite mark…" she said seriously.

Hide went to say something, but nothing escaped his mouth. Instead, he ducked his head and shrugged. He wouldn't say love, but he did care for Kuro… a lot…

"Ghouls aren't bad. There isn't any reason for you to be afraid, especially of Kuro." Yoriko said softly. "Kuro won't hurt you, ever. You're safe here, Hide. I'm sure if you give Anteiku a chance, you will like it."

Hide kept his head down. He listened to every word Yoriko said, but he just wasn't sure. It made his stomach twist. He just wasn't sure.

"Yoriko."

Yoriko immediately perked up. Her warm amber eyes glowed beautifully and she grinned widely. She leaped to her feet, and raced towards the figure in the door. Yoriko all but leaped onto the other woman.

"Touka!" Yoriko squealed happily.

Touka had a sheepish smile on her face. She looked a little embarrassed, but was happy to see Yoriko. She was taller than Yoriko, Hide noted. The Omega only reaching just above her shoulder.

Yoriko bristled with happiness. Warmth and love practically oozed from her. She hung off Touka with her arms wrapped tightly around Touka's neck. Hide was almost worried Touka would topple right over from Yoriko's weight, however, Touka didn't look fazed at all.

"Touka! You look so cute!" Yoriko grinned.

Touka flushed. She leant her face away as Yoriko began to cover her face with butterfly kisses.

"Yoriko." Touka chuckled. "Enough. Enough."

Yoriko laughed joyfully. She hugged Touka so tightly and buried her face into Touka's neck. "We're matching!" she giggled in her muffled voice.

It was then that Hide noticed that Touka wore almost exactly the same pyjamas as Yoriko. Instead of pink, Touka had purple and instead of butterflies, Touka had bunny rabbits. It was sugary cute.

Almost like she had read his mind, Touka looked at Hide in the eye and almost bashfully shrugged.

"Yoriko's idea." Touka stated as if it explained everything.

Yoriko only nuzzled herself further into Touka's embrace. Touka, for her part, patted Yoriko on the head gently. She sighed deeply, but still had a smile on her face.

"Yoriko, I can hear your tummy grumbling. You're hungry." Touka said.

Yoriko whined loudly. She shook her head, and pressed her face further into Touka. "I'm not hungry. You're just hearing the rumble of the world's atmosphere." She said softly.

Touka snorted. She smirked, and tingled Yoriko's sides. "I highly doubt that. Come on, you gotta go eat." She said.

"But I've already eaten!" Yoriko whined.

Touka rolled her eyes. "Cookies and milk isn't a meal Yoriko." She smirked widely.

"It should be." Yoriko muttered with an adorable pout. "Ah. Alright. Let's see what contraption you've conjured up this time."

"My cooking isn't that bad Yoriko. It's supposed to be a little charred." Touka pouted. She easily balanced Yoriko with her right arm, while her left arm went to her hip.

Yoriko snorted herself. "A little? Oh my Touka. It's more than a little! But I shall suffer through it for thee, as I love thee very much." She said brightly. It made Touka rolled her eyes again, but she let out a soft laugh.

"That's another thing Hide!" Yoriko called out. Her head rolled backward, which made her short golden hair to fall away from her face. "Ghouls can't cook, so unless you are very – very brave, don't allow them to cook for yah!"

"Yoriko!" Touka gasped.

Hide felt his lips twitched into a small smile. He felt his body buzz with amusement. He didn't know why Ghouls can't cook, and he wondered just how bad could they be at cooking? Yoriko had said Touka's food was charred – just by how much? Still, he smiled because he didn't know what else he could do.

Besides, Touka and Yoriko looked like they really did care for one another. They really did love each other. A lot…

Suddenly Yoriko peered back at Hide. She turn looked back up at Touka and frowned. Yoriko nudged Touka, and puffed out her cheeks cutely when Touka frowned at her. Touka looked at Hide with something crossed between a smile and a frown. She pushed her short hair out of her face, and softly sighed.

"I'm sorry if I scared you." Touka said seriously.

Hide blinked at her. He frowned. "Um…" He didn't know what to say. He just felt confusion.

Touka frowned. She looked down, and muttered under her breathe. "About earlier. I thought you already knew that we were…. Ghouls…." She said slowly. "I acted like you were okay with us being Ghouls because of the book you were found with. I guess I wasn't thinking straight, or that maybe I was just being selfish again."

"I tend to be selfish too much." She added.

Yoriko smiled widely. She reached up and pinched Touka's cheek. "Yes, you are. But that's what makes you special, Touka!" she cheerfully laughed.

Touka pouted. Her cheeks were flushed red. "Yoriko. I'm trying here…" She frowned.

"What I'm trying to say, is that I'm really sorry. For scary you, for, um, not being considerate enough." Touka finished.

Hide nervously laughed. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "It's okay." He said because that was all he could really say.

"I'm so proud of you!" Yoriko cheered. "Wait, when did you cut your hair? I like it long! Toukaaaaa!"

Touka snorted. "Really Yoriko? I cut it some time ago. In fact, I would say you need a haircut." She said.

Yoriko playfully gasped. Her hands reached up to touch her golden curls, and she pouted. "How could you say such a cruel thing!" she smiled.

Hide stared at the two. He watched as they muttered a few sweetnesses into each other's ears before they shared a cute kiss. Hide felt his heart skip a beat as he watched because Yoriko was an Omega human who was happily in love with an Alpha Ghoul. A ghoul.

It made him wonder… could he ever be happy in love with Kuro? Someday, could he feel the same way that Yoriko did with Touka?

They looked so very much happy together… Hide wanted that… he always did. It was one of the reasons why he ran away from home. Because Hide wanted to fall in love, and not be forced into a loveless marriage with some Alpha.

"Hide?" Yoriko called.

Hide broke out of thought. His cheeks flushed pink, and he awkwardly smiled. "Sorry? Yes?" he asked sheepishly.

Yoriko frowned a little before she shook her head. "Ah well. I was saying I'll see you later tonight!" she cheerfully said.

"Tonight?" Hide asked in confusion.

What was happening tonight? As fair as he knew, nothing was happening. Yoriko and Touka, both were in pajamas… and so was Hide himself.

Yoriko just smiled. She shrugged, and waved before she nuzzled herself further into Touka's arms. Touka held Yoriko tightly, and smiled an annoying smile that said she knew something he didn't which made Hide pout.

"Be safe Hide." Touka winked.

Hide frowned deeply. Especially when Yoriko gasped and elbowed Touka in the rips. Of course, it didn't look like it did anything to Touka, she easily shrugged it off and kissed Yoriko on the cheek.

Hide turned his eyes away. He looked down, as he felt like he was missing something. Either way he weakly smiled, and waved as Touka whisked her adorable, small lover away. A high pitched laugh came from Yoriko as the two left.

It left Hide sitting on the bed feeling rather small, and cold. He was lonely, and Hide immediately knew why. Sometimes he hated being an Omega.

"H-Hide?"

Hide jumped. His body twitched and heat prickled across his body. His head snapped upward so fast that it made him feel rather dizzy. Hide gulped, and felt his heart practically jump out his chest screaming, and running to get away. Hide hands jerked on his lap, and his shoulders hunched.

"H-Hide! I-I'm so sorry!" Kuro squealed.

Kuro nervously stood in the door way. He was fidgeting, while fingering the sleeve of his sweater. Kuro must have thought it was safer to come in now, after Yoriko had come in and talked with Hide. The look on Kuro's face made Hide feel guilty for how he must have treated Kuro a few hours ago.

"It's not your fault Kuro." Hide said. "I mean… I should probably say sorry because it's my fault. I mean, I'm sorry for… um…"

Kuro smiled cutely. He cutely looked off to the side, and then back at Hide.

"Y-you must have questions. You c-can ask me a-anything." Kuro said.

Hide blinked at Kuro. He shifted on the bed, and dragged himself further back to give Kuro room. Hide felt his lips pull into a small smile upon seeing Kuro wearing similar clothes to himself. It made his stomach buzz.

Kuro shakily crawled onto the bed. He moved into a comfortable spot next to Hide, but left a big enough gap between them as to not overwhelm them. His fingers trembled as they threaded together on his own lap.

"Whose idea was it to have Yoriko come in?" Hide asked.

Kuro blinked in surprise. He obviously hadn't been expecting that to be Hide's first question.

"O-oh. Haise s-said that Yoriko would probably make y-you more comfortable." Kuro explained shakily. "He s-said you were pretty shaken up by the r-realization and that instead of us forcing ourselves into y-your face that Yoriko would be a much better, um, g-gentler approach."

"Haise a-also said, Yoriko could s-show you that e-even humans can be happy with u-us." Kuro added.

Hide listened quietly, biting his bottom lip. "So… you chose Yoriko because she's an Omega and a human…" he said slowly, thoughtfully. "That's pretty clever."

"H-Haise is smart." Kuro admitted. "Smarter than me."

Hide blinked once again. He looked at Kuro's bashful face. "That's not true. I think you're pretty smart." He said softly.

Kuro's face darkened further. He looked rather star-struck. Kuro smiled shyly, and timidly.

"Really? N-nobody has ever said t-that before. I mean, T-Touka had told me that but she doesn't count." Kuro nervously said. He tapped his fingers together, with his shoulders hunched.

Hide let out a tiny laugh from the back of his throat. He pressed his lips together. "Touka doesn't count?" he asked.

"T-Touka… she's my childhood friend. W-we grew up together, I had Shiro and Haise, yes… b-but… I was different to them… I still am…" Kuro tried to explain. He looked like a beaten up puppy dog. "Touka w-was all what I had… she's my best friend…"

Hide stared at Kuro. He couldn't bring himself to turn away. In fact, he found himself leaning closer to Kuro. His hands twitched to touch the other man.

"Touka saved my life…" Kuro said with a sadden glint in his eyes. "S-she had always protected me, so I-I don't think it had ever occurred to her to stop… even when I g-grew up."

"You guys must care for each other quite a lot." Hide said with a small smile. He had never had a friend growing up. Hide had grown up alone with nobody.

Kuro looked at Hide shyly. "Touka's like my sister. S-Shiro and Haise left me on my own a lot… so Touka and occasionally Ayato, were all I h-had…" he said with a smile of happiness. He was glowing with such warmth that it made Hide smile.

"Ayato? That's Touka's brother, right?" Hide asked.

Kuro nodded furiously. "Yes! Ayato is Touka's younger brother. He is Hinami's age. A-Ayato used to want to be like Shiro, but then something changed between him and Touka, and now he has changed. Their relationship is complicated though." He chuckled quietly.

"So… Haise is your older brother?" Hide finally asked. It had been bugging him for a little while now. Just how many brothers did Kuro have? Only two?

Kuro blushed. He smiled a little. "H-Haise is our older brother. Mine and S-Shiro's. It's ironic that I'm closer to Haise than Shiro, my own twin… but I am. I'm more like Haise while S-Shiro tends to go to… um…" Kuro trailed off.

"You… you have another brother?" Hide asked in disbelief.

Kuro let out a small squeal. He shrugged his shoulders. "W-We don't talk about K-Ken much…but yes, we do have a-another brother. He is the eldest, while I'm the youngest. K-Ken doesn't exactly live here, in Anteiku." He said quietly. He looked rather pained as he explained his eldest brother.

Hide nodded mutely. He chose not to push this Ken person any further with Kuro. Kuro looked like he was on the verge of tears. Hide felt a little overwhelmed. It seemed Kaneki Kuro had a lot of layers… it seemed… all the Kaneki's were complicated.

"Erm, tell me about Haise." Hide finally said after a moment of silence. His voice pitched a little as spoke.

He tried not to admit it, but he was generally curious about Kaneki Ken. But Hide was sure as hell that he didn't want to see Kuro cry at all.

Kuro inhaled deeply. He smiled shyly. "H-Haise is a teacher. Oh, um, a professor really. W-we, G-Ghouls, are like humans. We have ch-children that need to grow up and learn about how the world works. T-that's what Haise does. He teaches, and t-takes care the more troubled k-kids. They're all so sweet and kind though." Kuro said sweetly.

Hide felt awe. "Really?"

Hide gasped out loud before shaking his head in embarrassment. He bowed his head as he realized that was a little stupid of him to say.

… Ghouls were no different to humans…?

Kuro didn't look upset, instead, he smiles sweetly. "Y-your book. The book on ghouls. I-It… it isn't right at all. Most of it is made up. Fantasy. Ghouls aren't like… that. I mean… Ghouls are just like humans, there are bad Ghouls, but there are also good Ghouls…" he explained.

Hide nodded his head ever so slowly. He then shivered, feeling suddenly cold. Hide laid himself down in the blankets, and curled up tightly. After a few seconds of staring up at Kuro, he bravely reached out to take Kuro's hand.

"Okay. Okay. I-I… I think I can accept that. Tell me about Ghouls." Hide encouraged and his lips pulled into a small smile.

Kuro looked down at Hide. His sliver eyes flickers as they look between Hide's round face, and their hands. After a few more seconds, and he smiled gratefully. He then slowly crawled into the blankets with Hide, he laid next to him.

Both Hide and Kuro laid on their stomach. They were just staring at each other, and their hands laid between them on the pillow. Their fingers lightly threaded together.

"It's true. Ghouls d-do eat h-human flesh, but it isn't like we need human flesh to survive. We can eat other raw things. We don't like it, but we are able to consume raw flesh of animals. I mean… the animals need to be a-alive for us to eat them…" Kuro explained. He winced as he explained, as he spoke. "B-but we, Ghouls, have feelings and thoughts like humans. We don't want to hurt humans, b-but there are Ghouls out there that do like and enjoy hurting humans and other things."

Hide breathed softly. "Like humans. There are bad humans that enjoy hurting other humans." He said. He rolled his head across the pillow to peer up at the wall with half-lidded eyes.

It was true. He remembered reading about the 'most horrific crime' committed in De Hakoiri. An Alpha had kidnapped an Omega, and had done some horrific, awful things to the poor Omega. The Omega had been saved many years later, discovered by a family friend of the Alpha who had later reported the crime to the Commission of Hunters. Hide remembered Akira telling him that Amon had been the one to find the young Omega.

The Omega had been tortured, starved and raped countless times. Hide couldn't imagine what the Omega had gone through, but it only made the thought that humans aren't any better than Ghouls firm in his mind.

Hide tightened his grip around Kuro's. He smiled weakly at him.

"Ghouls… aren't monsters." Hide finally said.

Kuro let out a breathe he had no idea he was holding. "Y-you… would you be willing to give… g-give us, er, me a ch-chance then?" he asked quietly.

Hide swallowed a thick lump in his throat. He inhaled sharply, and nodded. "Yes. Yes I… I can. I don't know why, but I like you… a lot… so… I don't think you'll hurt me." Hide admitted with his cheeks darkening.

Kuro's eyes widened. He smiled at him. "R-really? You like me?" he asked.

Hide let out a soft chuckle. Of course out of that, Kuro would pick up on that. However, he somewhat bravely, for an Omega, leant across the pillow and pressed a quick kiss to Kuro's cheek. It made Kuro squeal in surprise, and a pleasure-filled shudder went through his body. Hide felt the shudder, and it made him buzz with more warmth.

"I won't lie Kuro." Hide mumbled softly. "I'm still scared, but I trust you."

Kuro nodded. "I-I can accept that. I won't l-let anything happen to you… I-I'll prove to you t-that not all Ghouls are bad. I'm good, and I like you a lot too!" he said softly.

Hide found himself blushing further. He lowered his head, and bites his bottom lip. "Is… is that why you bit me?" he asked.

At the mention of the bite, the mark on his neck twitched and flared with warmth. Hide reached up with his free hand to touch the mark. Only to jump, when Kuro reached with his other hand to take Hide's hand.

"It's… c-complicated and d-difficult to explain." Kuro admitted. "I-I'll explain it to you fully someday… b-but for now… I bit you b-because I wanted t-to mark you as mine."

Hide's mouth felt rather dry. He gulped again, and nervously looked away. His neck prickled as he listened to Kuro's words. He nodded slowly. Hide wished Kuro would explain the mark more, but he accepted that as it had only been a few days since Hide had woken up and had meet Kuro.

"Hide… a-are you scared of me?" Kuro asked.

Hide stared at Kuro for a few seconds. "No. I'm not." He breathed out.

Kuro smiled shyly. He let out a gentle breathe, and closed his eyes for a few seconds. He held Hide's hands tightly.

That was how it was. For a few hours, the two just laid together. Hide felt comfortable. The two laid under the blankets together, still holding hands and just enjoying each other. They spoke of many things, small things such as coffee. They spoke a lot about coffee, and Hide had teased Kuro upon seeing Kuro expression when Hide said he had never heard of coffee outside Anteiku. They spoke of colors, clothes, other books, animals… all sorts of things.

Hide and Kuro just got to know each other. They learned more about each other.

"No." Hide chuckled. "I'm an only child."

Kuro made a gentle 'oh' and clicked his tongue. "So you only had your M-Mother and F-Father?" he asked.

Hide nodded happily. "Yeah. Pretty much. I… um, I ran away because I felt like Mother and Father didn't care about me." He sighed deeply. "They said I was a failure to our family, and they were going to sell me to another family."

"That's a-awful." Kuro frowned deeply. "Y-you mean like an arranged m-marriage?"

"Yeah." Hide said. "Father said this Alpha would willingly take a 'troubled Omega like me' in and teach me how to behave."

Kuro's eyes narrowed. His hands tightened even more on Hide's hands. "How disgusting. It's considered t-the worse crime to hurt an Omega. I don't know how it is for humans, but Omegas for us, are precious. It's… without them, we wouldn't know emotions like love, kindness, passion and s-such. Omegas teach us those." He explained seriously. "Any form of Omega cruelty is reprimanded with the appropriate punishment."

Hide stared in surprise. He gapped softly. Hide couldn't believe his ears. De Hakoiri doesn't treat Omegas like that.

"But… Omegas are just, um, breeders." Hide found himself saying.

Kuro looked surprised. "No. Do you really believe that Hide? It's not true." Kuro said gently. "Omegas are no different from Alphas or Betas. They can do just as much as an Alpha or a Beta."

Hide felt himself burn with so much warmth and something else that Hide just wasn't sure the name of. Either way, he found himself moving closer to Kuro.

"Ghouls treat Omegas differently… who would have thought." Hide muttered to himself.

Kuro chose not to say anything to that. Instead, he rubbed the back of Hide's hands gently. The feeling of him made Hide feel relaxed and calm. Hide felt happiness to be with Kuro like this. It was nice. A lovely feeling.

"Kuro. You're an Alpha, right?" Hide asked.

Kuro almost chocked on his saliva. "Whatever Touka said isn't true!" he gasped out.

Hide blinked. His lips twitched. "What?" he asked before he found himself chuckling at Kuro's face.

"S-sorry!" Kuro whined loudly. He buried his face into the pillow underneath his head. "It's just that, w-well, Touka s-says I'm too gentle and sweet… t-that I should have been an O-Omega."

Hide smiled. "Really? I think you're an amazing Alpha. There's nothing wrong with being gentle, sweet or sensitive. It's actually really… nice…" Hide mumbled softly at the end, his face becoming pink as he spoke.

"Y-you really t-think that?" Kuro mumbled shyly. "B-because I'm different c-compared to my b-brothers, as an A-Alpha, I-I was normally left b-behind… being a-a sensitive Alpha i-is bad…"

Hide couldn't stop himself. He found himself moving without thought. He pressed his lips to Kuro's. Hide felt his lips to Kuro's for several minutes before realizing what he was doing, and pulled away with wide eyes.

"I-I… um…sorry!" Hide yelped out.

Kuro blinked once and then twice. Slowly, he pressed his fingers to his lips. Kuro looked at Hide from under his eyelashes. His lips pulled into a tiny smile. He was glowing.

"You kissed me." Kuro mumbled.

Hide blushed brightly. Hide sat up quickly, with his shoulders hunched. "I-I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me!" he gapped.

Kuro laughed. He sat up too, and hugged Hide. "N-no! I liked it!" Kuro said.

"You liked it?" Hide repeated. He was still very embarrassed by it.

What had come over him? He couldn't believe he had just went to kiss Kuro. Hide's first kiss. At the time, Hide would be too overwhelmed and surprised by himself to really think about the kiss. But later, Hide would come to realization that he enjoyed it just as much as Kuro did.

"I-It was my f-first kiss, but it was a nice kiss." Kuro admitted with a small smile. He looked really happy.

The look on Kuro's face made Hide feel happy too.

Kuro shook his head. He made a soft laugh, and turned to look at Hide in the face. "Oh. Y-you're invited to come outside tonight." Kuro said softly.

"I don't want to…" Hide found himself saying. He nervously peered at Kuro. "…I'm not scared of you Kuro… but…"

Kuro hummed. "You a-afraid of the other Ghouls." He finished for Hide.

Hide twitched underneath Kuro's eyes. He nodded his head mutely, and chewed on his bottom lip.

"You know nothing will happen to you." Kuro said seriously. "I won't let anybody hurt you, ever. You have to believe me Hide."

Kuro spoke more seriously than before. Hide wondered if maybe Kuro… Kuro was acting more brave because… of the… kiss.

"I know Kuro." Hide mumbled. "I-I just can't help it."

Kuro nodded again. He pressed his hand suddenly against Hide's chest. "You are really becoming scared. Your heart is racing." He said with a troubled frown. "Please calm down Hide. I-If you really don't w-want to go outside t-tonight then we won't."

Hide could tell Kuro was disappointed from the thought of not going outside tonight… whatever it was.

"What is going on tonight?" Hide asked. He remembered Yoriko saying something about later tonight.

Kuro smiled as he thought about whatever it was happening tonight.

 

 

"W-well, it starts early in morning w-when it's still dark outside. N-normally around 3 in the m-morning and sometimes will continue u-until the same time t-the next day… or night." Kuro began. His eyes were cloudy as he thought of it. He must really enjoy it.

Hide raised an eyebrow. "Is it a party?" he asked.

Hide had never gone to a party before. De Hakoiri would normally hold festivals, or parties, but Omegas were never allowed to attend.

"O-oh. No. No." Kuro said with a soft sigh. "D-during the C-Crimson Eclipse, our instincts can go c-crazy. I mean, not bad or something! Just, we want to be out and about! We want to spread our kagune! Sometimes we fight each other!"

Kuro had spoken calmly at first, but had panicked a little at the end. It was a little difficult for Hide to keep up with. It was a lot of information to take in.

"Slow down Kuro." Hide said. "You mean Lunar Eclipse? When the Earth covers the moon?"

Kuro breathed in sharply to slow himself down. "Kind off. It is s-similar to that, but t-that happens every 50 or s-so years. C-Crimson Eclipse is d-different. It h-happens once every m-month. Crimson Eclipse affects Ghouls rather t-then humans." He explained.

"I've never heard of a Crimson Eclipse." Hide said thoughtfully. He searched his mind if he had heard of a Crimson Eclipse, but nothing came to mind.

Hide knew what a Lunar Eclipse is… he remember seeing the Lunar Eclipse when he was very young. But nothing had covered the moon since then. So what exactly is a Crimson Eclipse?

Kuro let out a gentle chuckle. He shyly looked off to the side. "T-the moon goes red." Kuro explained. "Y-you have n-noticed that? The moon w-would be red for one night and o-one day. It normally b-becomes red at night, and then goes b-back to the normal color the next n-night over."

Hide's eyes widened. "That's the Crimson Eclipse? I remember seeing a red moon once… but I was told I was dreaming when I told my Mother." He frowned deeply.

"T-that's a part of the p-pack… I guess." Kuro muttered thoughtfully. "I-I'm not sure w-what the deal about the eclipse is… I-I think it w-was just decided on t-that the humans wouldn't come out during the E-eclipse."

Hide hummed thoughtfully. He never thought about it before, but for about the same amount of time, De Hakoiri had everyone in the great hall. Hide had always thought it was to do with check-ups and such. He never thought it could because of something to do with Ghouls.

Hide groaned softly. He rubbed his temples. Hide was learning so much, and he was beginning to see how much of De Hakoiri was bullshit. He felt dizzy at the realization.

"Oh. What do you mean by Kagune, and your instincts going crazy?" Hide asked. His eyebrows pulled together.

What was a Kagune? And just what instincts is Kuro talking about?

Kuro blushed. He looked away and then back. "A… a-a Kagune is just… um, s-something Ghouls have t-to do; defend ourselves o-or to hunt for o-our families. A-and instincts… it's a bit hard to explain…" he mumbled.

Hide nodded. He pouted a little. Hide didn't want to push Kuro, but he really was curious.

"Can I see your Kagune?" Hide asked.

He really wanted to know what a Kagune was.

Kuro blushed even redder. He lowered his head and crushed his lips together. "U-um…" he mumbled with his hands shaking.

Immediately, Hide realized he had overstepped his boundaries. He forced a comforting smile, and patted his hand on Kuro's shoulder.

"Ah! Sorry! Is that personal for Ghouls?" Hide asked. "Is that like using somebody to drop their pants?"

Kuro laughed. "Hide!" he giggled. "Sort off. It's j-just I d-don't want to scare you."

Hide's eyebrow's pulled together thoughtfully. He made a gently sound from the back of his throat.

"Oh. So it isn't like somebodies private part." Hide said.

Kuro smiled. He shook his head. "Not e-exactly like that. B-But some Ghouls are sensitive about them." He said.

"So, you have a Kagune?" Hide asked and Kuro nodded as an answer. "Does Touka as well?"

"Every G-Ghoul has a Kagune, Hide." Kuro giggled. "They're a p-part of our identity. A p-part of our bodies."

Hide breathed in the information. He licked his lips, and stared at Kuro. His mind turned. He tried to picture what a Kagune is.

"Oh! Is it that eye thing?" Hide gasped. "I remember Touka's eyes going black and red!"

Kuro blinked. "O-oh no. T-That's not our kagune. It's… s-something that happens when we're mad… or j-just letting our instincts take over." Kuro explained shyly.

Hide moved closer to Kuro. So close that their noses almost touched. "Can you show me that at least?" he asked.

"… A-are you s-sure?" Kuro quietly asked. His voice becoming a whisper.

Hide gulped. He felt a shudder run through his body as he heard Kuro's words.

"Yes. I'm sure Kuro!" Hide said bravely.

Kuro looked down. He fidgeted on his spot. Kuro wiggled side to side, with his hands rubbing together. Kuro breathed sharply, and closed his eyes. He stilled for a few seconds, which turned into minutes and then, he lifted his head.

Ever so slowly, his eyes slide opened. Both eyes were pure black, with a soft crimson colored pupil directly in the middle. Kuro's long eyelashes framed Kuro's eyes. They looked scary, but yet beautiful. It made Hide's heart skip a beat, and he couldn't breathe properly.

Kuro let out a shaky breath.

"Whoa." Hide mumbled. "Whoa. Kuro. Your eyes they're… so beautiful."

Kuro's red and black eyes widened. His white cheeks became a bright red color. "Y-you mean t-that?" he asked bashfully.

"Of course I do!" Hide gasped with a grin. He leant forward to peer into the pretty eyes. "They're so pretty! I've never seen eyes like those before!"

Kuro blushed redder and redder. He smiled shyly, and looked down. "I-I'm glad… I-I was worried y-you would t-think they're u-ugly… and b-be scared of me b-because of them…" he admitted. He was twisting his fingers together.

Hide watched him twist his fingers around one another before he reached out and gently took his hands. He smiled widely. "I don't think they're ugly, or scary. I think they're generally beautiful. You're amazing Kuro." He said firmly. "… A-as long as you stay with me… I-I'll do that… thing tonight. That, um, Crimson Eclipse."

"R-really?" Kuro gasped. "R-really Hide?"

Hide felt himself blush. He smiled and nodded bravely. "If it makes you happy Kuro… just… don't leave me on my own." Hide said.

"I won't! Don't worry Hide! I'll protect you from everything tonight!" Kuro gasped with excitement. He was almost jumping up and down on the spot with eagerness. He tightened his fingers around Hide's own hands.

Hide believed him. He leant forward, and kissed Kuro on the cheek. He thought for a second about maybe kissing Kuro on the mouth again, but he realized he would be too embarrassed about kissing Kuro again.

Kuro looked very happy after it thought. Hide couldn't believe how quickly he become comfortable with Kuro. He enjoyed being with Kuro, and all the kisses Hide had been giving to Kuro, made Kuro smile brightly. Smile with happiness. He was glowing with so much warmth that it made Hide buzz with a high of… something. Something that Hide couldn't give a name.

Kuro, still glowing, leaped at Hide. The two fell back onto the blankets, with a laugh. He cuddled up to Hide, and smiled. His red and black eyes had amazingly faded back into his gorgeous silver eyes. There was so much Hide wanted to ask, so much he wanted to open his mouth and ask.

Hide had so many questions but he never allowed the words out. Instead, he moved closer to Kuro. He really liked Kuro. He enjoyed his smell, his warmth and his comfort.

"Hide. We s-should sleep for a f-few hours o-otherwise you'll b-be tired l-later." Kuro said softly.

Hide looked at Kuro. He smiled, their heads were pretty much crushed together and their hair had merged together into a soft amber colour. Hide wiggled closer to Kuro, and softly hummed. Oddly, the thought of scary Ghouls didn't feel like such a big deal now.

Hide didn't understand why… but either way, he found himself growing tiredly.

He was becoming sleepy and when he closed his eyes; that was it. He fell into a deep sleep.

It was the best sleep he'd had in a long time. Cuddled up against Kuro, and just breathing in Kuro's smell. Just sleeping in Kuro's presence. It made Hide feel so very warm and calm.

It was a few hours later that Hide awoke again.

Gentle hands touched Hide. The hands carefully push him, and warm breath glosses over the shell of Hide's ear.

"Hide? H-Hide." Kuro whispered sweetly.

Hide groaned. He curled up tightly in hopes of falling asleep again. He slapped the hands away, and buried his face into the warm pillow. Hide was just so comfortable. He did not want to wake up. Hide wanted to sleep longer.

Kuro let out a small sigh. He shifted, and gently took Hide by his shoulders. Kuro lightly shook Hide again.

"Hide. I k-know you want to s-sleep longer, a-and you can… b-but you have to let m-me up." Kuro mumbled shyly.

Hide groaned again. He sighed softly, and whined. Hide's mouth was slack, it was slightly hanging opened with drool over his chin. Hide slowly slide his eyes open tiredly. His nose twitched, as his fingers tightened around the blanket.

"Kuro?" Hide mumbled sleepily.

Kuro had a strange smile on his face. "Hmm. H-Hide. Please let m-me up." He cutely said.

Hide blinked. He sat up, and rubbed his eyes much like a cat would. His golden hair was a mess, and stuck in all directions. Hide then whipped the drool from his mouth. He blinked his amber eyes, and peered down at Kuro.

"H-Hide?" Kuro said.

Kuro laid still on the bed. His raven hair was just as messy as Hide. Kuro's arms were laid numbly out on either side of his head.

Kuro was sweating. He was panting, breathing heavily and obviously trying with all his might to stay calm. Not just that, his eyes… his silver eyes were red and black.

Hide gulped. "Um. K-Kuro? Are you alright?" he asked in concern.

Kuro swallowed a thick lump in his throat. His lips twitched, and a weak smile spread across his lips. He pressed his hand against the side of his head.

"Hmmm." Kuro hummed with a small nod.

It was then that Hide became aware of something hard pressing into him. Hide looked down, and felt a cold shudder run down through his body. His honey brown eyes widened in shock. Hide jaw dropped.

Hide was on top of Kuro. His thighs were on either side of Kuro's hips. Hide could feel him completely. The pajama pants was so thin that he could feel Kuro's body warmth vibrating through the fabric. All the hairs stood on end across Hide's body, and he all but rocketed off Kuro.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Hide gasped out in shock.

Kuro pants heavily. He slowly eased himself up from the bed. His body was waving side to side, with so much cold sweat clinging to his body. Kuro's fingers were twitching and jerking back and forth.

Hide was worried that Kuro became sick within a few hours. However, something else that was unusual caught his attention.

It was the door.

The bedroom door was highlighted by red light. It glowed out from underneath the door, and from between the cracks.

Hide stared at the light. Only to hand cupping his face and turning him back towards Kuro. Hide jumped from how close Kuro had got to him. Kuro was practically in his lap.

"Kur-" Hide began.

Kuro didn't make a sound as he leaned in close. He pulled Hide as close as he could possibly him, and pressed his lips to Hide. He shoved his tongue into Hide's surprised mouth with eagerness.

That was Hide's first ever experience with this kind of things.

It felt good. Hide, after getting over his shock, gave in and enjoyed it. His eyes slide shut, and he wrapped his arms tightly around Kuro's neck. Hide ran his fingers through the dark hair. Hide actually found himself leaning further into Kuro's embrace.

He really did enjoy it.

After a few more seconds, or minutes, Hide didn't know. They separated with their tongues sticking out with a saliva bridge connecting them together.

Hide panted a little with blushing cheeks. He blinked slowly, and sighed softly. He felt dizzy after such a kiss. Hide wasn't sure if he wanted to move to or not. He licked his lips and peered at Kuro.

Kuro was still sweaty. He was panting even heavier than before. His face was red, and his eyes was watery and glassy.

"K-Kuro…" Hide breathed out. He felt good. He was buzzing.

Still, Hide wasn't sure what was happening. Kuro looked ill, and it made Hide feel worried. His hand reached up to touch Kuro's forehead to see if he was hot or not. To see if he had a fever.

"Kuro? Are you unwell?" Hide asked worriedly.

Kuro panted quietly. He reached up and took Hide's hand from his forehead.

"Hm-mh. I'm fine." He said without a stutter in his voice.

Kuro's black and red eyes were half-lidded. He let out a small hum. He then smiled widely, and kissed Hide on the cheek.

"Come on Hide." Kuro said.

Kuro stood up. He was still holding Hide's hand, and easily pulled Hide up. Kuro stretched his back out. He held Hide's hand tightly, his thumb brushing up and down along the skin.

"Let's go outside now Hide." Kuro said and turned towards the door of the room.

Hide looked back at the door. He could see the red light. It was still spilling out from behind the wood. It made Hide anxious to know what was on the other side. He quietly allowed himself to be taken towards the door by Kuro.

When he stepped outside, Hide felt his heart skip a beat. The whole corridor was illuminated by a beautiful crimson light that painted everything in such a gorgeous way. The light was coming from the open window at the end of the corridor.

Hide stared at the moon. It was a burning ruby color. It left him short of breath.

"Is that the Crimson Eclipse?" Hide wondered in awe.

Kuro doesn't make a sound. Instead, he quietly guides Hide towards the window.

Hide looked between the red moon and Kuro. Hide had never seen anything like that before. It was familiar… Hide must have seen the moon all those years ago when he was a kid… there was no other explanation.

"It's… beautiful…" Hide said.

Hide stared up at the red moon. He felt strange looking at it, but he couldn't turn away. It made him shiver. He couldn't look away. Hide felt hot, but cold at the same time. His body twitched with something Hide hadn't felt before.

"So, um, we're going outside?" Hide finally said after a few more minutes.

There was this strange, wild-glint in Kuro's eyes. Hide hadn't ever seen it before, and it felt rather… odd to see it but yet frilling.

Kuro mutely nodded. He tightened his hand on Hide's hand, before he pulled Hide along after him.

Poor Hide almost tripped over his feet, but was somehow able to gain his balance. It was strange, Hide had expected to run into somebody, anybody but he saw nobody. There was nobody in any of the corridors. It was empty.

"Where is everyone?" Hide questioned.

Kuro made a soft sound from the back of his throat. He clocked his head to the side, and peered at Hide.

"Outside." Kuro said softly.

Hide blinked once and then twice. He looked back over his shoulder at the open window.

"Everyone?" Hide wondered.

Kuro nodded.

The air is thick and filled with tension. It was almost suffocating.

Hide through a several of the corridors, hallways and even staircases. He walked through an area he had never seen before. Hide paid extra attention. He looked at everything he and Kuro passed. He is eventually led over out onto something similar to a patio but not really. It looked a little like a small bridge, but yet, not.

It was the first time since waking up Hide had been outside. He noticed the building he had been in had a long strange bridge attached to the patio. Wooden pillars were attached along the sides with odd small trinkets nailed into them. At the end of the bridge, on the other side looked like an old slowly falling apart alleyway. It was probably a part of the old city of Tokyo.

It was truly amazing. Completely different to his De Hakoiri.

It was fascinating.

The building Hide had just left was massive. When he looked back at it, it was so high that Hide couldn't quite see the top of it. There was many other buildings just like it scattered around the area. Windows were either boarded up, or just left open with no glass. Out of about ten windows, only one window actually had glass.

It looked like something right out of a novel. It was amazing to see.

Unlike indoors, the outside was swimming with people. So many that there was no way Hide could keep count of how many people there was. He recognized a few faces faintly. It took Hide awhile before he connected the dots and he realized a lot of the people had been the same people calling for his head only last week…

Hide's stomach clenched with fear. He found himself moving closer to Kuro's side. Hide's hand gripped onto Kuro's arm. There were so many people. He jumped when Kuro reached up and gently patted his hands. Hide peered around himself again. He could see… kids? A whole bunch of young children in one area playing football. They eagerly ran back and forth, kicking a ball between them.

Hide turned his head. He could see a ring of people in a far corner. They were cheering excitedly, and throwing their arms about. Hide thinks he could see two people wrestling, but he couldn't be sure. There was almost something red flashing between them, but Hide wasn't sure if it was his eyes playing tricks on him or not.

The red moon bathed everything in red.

It's all so maddening.

The red moon was taunting. Hide looked up at the sky, and noticed the sky was just as red as the moon. It looked perfect but yet, scary. Creepy even. There was no stars, or clouds. Only the red moon on a bed of red sand.

"Kuro!"

Hide snapped his head around. His eyes frantically moved back and forth, before he relaxed upon realizing the voice belonged to Touka. He sighed softly.

Touka stood a good distance away from them. She was waving over at Kuro, and she was wearing the same rabbit pajamas Hide had seen her in before. At her side, eagerly bouncing up and down was Yoriko. She was gripping Touka's free hand so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. Touka wasn't alone either. She had four people with her. Two were Hinami and Yoriko, Hide realized after a few seconds of staring. All the people were calling Kuro over with eagerness.

Kuro makes a sound wistful sound. He smiled brightly, and he squeezed Hide's hand warmly before he released Hide's hand. He happily ran towards the people who Hide thought must be his friends.

And after a few seconds, Hide slowly trailed after Kuro awkwardly...

"Hide. You're here." Yoriko smiled.

Touka looked at Hide. She had the same eyes of Kuro. Black and red. She stared at Hide with a rather smug smile on her lips. Touka also had a knowing look in her eyes.

"I thought you wouldn't have come out." Touka snorted.

Kuro smiled sweetly. He looked at Hide, and took his hand again. It was almost like Kuro was able to read Hide's mind, and had sensed that Hide had quickly become uncomfortable underneath the many eyes staring at him.

"I promised to protect him." Kuro stated in pride.

It made the other chuckle. Hide, himself, turned pink in embarrassment and looked down at his feet.

"So, does this mean you've finally popped your cherry?" A man asked. "Is that why you're so tried? Did your little Omega keep you up all night?"

It made Kuro whine. He turned a bright red colour. Kuro's body bristled.

The man looked to be the same age of Hide. He was tall with messy blonde hair that stuck up at the sides. His black and red eyes glowed behind a pair of red rimmed glasses. He clicked his tongue, and smirked widely as he took in Kuro's form.

"Oh. That's pretty pathetic Kuro." He said. "Your mate doesn't look like much anyway. A bit shitty."

The small woman at his side pouted. Her eyes narrowed with disapprovement.

"Nishio." The woman said.

The way she said it, made the man shudder. He frowned and looked away with a shrug.

"I win, Touka." Yoriko grinned. She reached up and kissed Touka on the cheek.

Kuro gasped. His face flushed brightly and he gapped. "Y-you guys b-bet on that!" he squealed in horror.

"Well yeah. We thought you would at least man up to fuck the shitty kid." Nishio grunted.

Touka rolled her eyes. Her hands twitched. "Can't you be at least a little polite? Or is that too hard for you?" she hissed. "Is it too much thinking? Oh. Right, thinking. We wouldn't want you to hurt your head."

"Fuck you, Touka." Nishio growled.

Hide could feel it immediately. The hot fury boiled within the air. His skin twitched, and something inside of him screamed at him to run away. Instead, however, he stepped closer to Kuro. His honey eyes wide with fear. He stared at Nishio and Touka.

The two looked like they were on the verge of attacking each other. There was something odd with the way they were standing, or moving. It was like their bodies were jerking about, ready for something… anything. Hide didn't know but it frightened him.

"Enough." The same woman said.

She sighed loudly and placed herself between them. She crossed her arms tightly and glared at the two. Automatically both Touka and Nishio backed down. They lowered their heads like wounded puppies.

"Sorry Kimi." Touka sighed.

Yoriko pouted. She huddled up to Touka's side, and pulled Touka's face around to her. "Touka! You know better!" she huffed.

Nishio grumbled. He rolled his eyes and muttered underneath his breath with annoyance. He rubbed the back of his neck, and shrugged it off.

"You both are letting the moon affect your moods." Kimi added. She pushed a loose hair out of her face. "You both are old enough to control your instincts. You're not children anymore. You both can't throw down immediately in front of a human who has never seen a Crimson Eclipse."

Hide chewed on his bottom lip. He looked at Kuro, and back at the other people. They all were Ghouls. Hide realized. All but Yoriko, and that girl, Kimi. Kimi was human, like himself.

They all seemed to respect Kimi. As soon as she finished talking, both Touka and Nishio bowed their heads in shame. Kimi was a rather tall, with short brown hair. She had large eyes, and was very beautiful. Hide had to admit.

Kimi was an Omega as well.

"Sorry about that Hide." Kimi said. She turned to look at Hide with a kind smile. "I'm sure Kuro has explained the Crimson Eclipse to you. It affects Ghouls instincts. If I had not intervened, they would have been rolling on the ground by now. Both trying to outdo one another."

Kimi sighed. "They're like children." She said tiredly. It was almost like Kimi had to put up with this before.

Hide nervously smiled. He awkwardly shuffled his feet. "Oh. Um. It's okay. Y-yeah, Kuro kind of explained it to me." He said.

"I know it's a bit overwhelming, but you will get used it eventually." Kimi added sweetly.

Hide gulped. He mutely nodded, and looked away. Hide felt strange. He felt odd being with them. Still, it sounded much like… like he still didn't have a choice. Hide had to stay in Anteiku without any other option. Hide felt like he had to agree to it.

Never mind the strange comfortable feeling Hide had underneath the layers.

Like all the other times, Kuro leant towards Hide. He moved as he smelled the distresses vibrating from Hide's body. Kuro gained Hide's attention, and clocked his head forward with his vibrant eyes.

"W-we can g-go back inside if you like?" Kuro whispered.

Hide peered at Kuro from underneath his eyelashes. His lips twitched into something between a straight line and smile.

"I'm alright, Kuro." Hide said calmly.

Kuro blinked once, and then again. He stared at Hide for a few seconds, as if he was trying to read Hide's soul. Kuro nodded silently.

Hide looked around the area once again. He stared at all the people standing around. Hide then realized there were even people on the roofs of buildings. Hide swore for a second there was somebody on the far corner of a building but then there was a flash of blue, and that person was no longer there.

Hide thought he must have imagined it.

"D-do… do all Ghouls have eyes like that then?" Hide found himself asking quietly.

"It's called a Kakugan." Hinami chimed in sweetly.

Hide had almost forgotten the younger girl were with them. She walked up to him with that same kind and gentle smile. Her brown hair was braided and had many beautiful flowers threated through her hair. She wore a long white strap dress with a pink cardigan, and matching pink flower-like slippers.

"Kakugan?" Hide repeated. "Like a Kagune?"

Hinami nodded her head cutely. Her own eyes sparkled with crimson and black. "Normally, we can control our Kakugan. But during the Crimson Eclipse, anything could happen. Young children don't have any control over their Kakugan or Kagune, it's only when they reach puberty do they get complete control over them." She explained in a soft tone voice.

Hinami turned away from Hide. She looked up at the moon with a smile.

"During the Crimson Eclipse, everything is game." She said.

It was an eerie sentence. It sent a scary chill up Hide's spine.

"Hinami, you're scaring him!" Yoriko giggled.

Yoriko wrapped her arms around Hinami's shoulders, and hugged her so tightly that it was rather impressive. She nuzzled her face into Hinami's flower braided hair. Hinami didn't look bothered at all, she wasn't fazed with the way Yoriko held her. Instead, Hinami smiled widely, and hugged Yoriko back.

"Oh. I'm sorry Hide. I don't mean to." Hinami said.

Hide smiled awkwardly. He nodded back at Hinami. Hide just watched the three females. Touka had easily joined in with Hinami and Yoriko's embrace. Hide felt a little in awe as he took in them. All three of the girls were just so beautiful with the red light shining over them.

Yoriko had two Ghouls that were very fond of her.

Hide realized the three of them were very close. He wondered if the three of them lived together.

Nishio snorted loudly. "You are a very strange little human." He said.

Yoriko pouted. She glared at Nishio. "How rude!" she snipped.

"Watch it." Touka warned.

Kimi groaned again. She rubbed the bridge of her nose. It was obvious she was tired of Touka and Nishio itching to fight. However, unlike before, nothing happened. Nishio shrugged it off and Touka let it go. Probably so as to not upset Kimi any further.

Hide felt out of place with the group.

The group began to talk about something Hide didn't understand. He just stood to the side, and silently listened. Hide thought about jumping in the conversation to join in, but what would he say? What could he say? Hide didn't have any idea what to do or say… or anything right now. He was alone.

Hide turned away. His eyes lowered down to look at the ground underneath him. He pressed his lips together, with his twitchy finger. He caught sight of someone.

It was somebody Hide hadn't seen before.

It was a man. A large man, with a large stomach with broad shoulders. He stood near the end of the street Hide was on. He had his hands in his pockets, with his head held stiffly in the air.

Hide couldn't see the man's face because he had a white mask on but Hide could feel it. The man was staring at him. It made him feel terrified. Hide looked away, he tried to ignore the man and pay attention to Kuro… but Hide could feel the eyes drilling into him. It made him feel dizzy and sick.

It was horrible. It was awful.

Hide wanted to gain Kuro's attention. Nothing. He couldn't reached towards Kuro. None of the Ghouls seemed to notice how uncomfortable and scared Hide had become. Not even Kuro. Hide didn't understand it.

Kuro had always been able sense Hide's feelings. So why wasn't he picking up Hide's feelings now?

Hide peered back at the man in white. His heart leaped into his throat. The man was still staring at him. It was… just horrible. Hide's fingers itched with the need to grab onto Kuro. To beg Kuro to take him back inside, not he couldn't move. He was frozen stiff.

Suddenly chanting from the circle of people gained Hide's attention. He snapped his head around to look at them nervously. The people were cheering, and chanting a name over and over again. Hide wasn't sure what the name was, but it made his ears ring.

"Looks like he won again." Hinami hummed.

Touka snorted. She rolled her eyes, and pulled up the sleeve of her shirt. "It's about time somebody knocks him down peg." She smirked.

Yoriko gasped. She trailed along behind Touka. "Touka. Touka. Please be careful this time! Ayato is your brother!" she reminded her.

"Don't worry Yoriko. I'll beat his smug little ass!" Touka huffed.

Nishio laughed. "Oh, I gotta see this!" he said.

Hide stared. He watched as they all walked towards the ring. His eyebrows pulled together in thought. Touka was going to fight her brother? So it was her brother fighting, and had won? How was Touka going to fight?

Hide had so many questions. He went to follow after Kuro, but he paused. He looked back over his shoulder to look at the man in white. Hide wanted to see if that man was still watching him, but oddly, the man was gone.

The man in white was nowhere in sight. Hide frowned. He rubbed his chin, and nibbled his bottom lip.

Where did he go?

When Hide turned around. His eyes frantically tried to spot Kuro, but couldn't His heart had begun to beat so painfully, and loudly through his mind. He tried to see Kuro. Hide took a step forward, and then backward. Hide found himself looking around himself in fear. He was scared that somebody could grab him and drag him off.

"Kuro?" he called out but his voice was swallowed up by the cheering and chanting of other people.

…

It was then that Hide saw Kuro. Kuro was at the end of the street. He was standing by an alleyway. It never occurred to Hide that it was the very same alleyway where the man in white had been nor that Kuro had somehow, magically, changed clothes within in a split second. All Hide knew was that it was Kuro.

His Kuro.

"Kuro." Hide breathed out in relief.

Without another thought, he began to walk towards Kuro. However, as soon as Hide made a feet step, Kuro walked down the alleyway. He was out of sight within seconds. It made Hide's body shudder anxiously.

Hide makes his way to the alleyway. He paused in step to look through the shadows of the old, decaying alleyway. The red light of the moon above him only made the alleyway much creepier, and scarier.

Hide didn't understand. Why would Kuro come down here for?

Slowly, Hide walked down the alleyway. He tried to find Kuro. He swore he had seen Kuro walk down here. Hide couldn't see him. There was nobody down here at all.

Suddenly, the sound of something large crashed into metal behind him. The sound of somebody very big landing on top of a dumpster. Hide spun around. He almost tripped over his feet as he turned around. Hide's heart skipped a beat, and the hair stood up on the back of neck in alarm.

It was that man. The man in white.

He landed on a metal box. The metal had become dented underneath the large man's weight. His face was covered in a white plastic mask-like thing. The man stood up, he straightened his back and easily casted his shadow over Hide.

The man was large. He was much bigger then Hide. He was terrified. Hide had never seen such a big man before. He was massive… and terrifying.

What was worse was that the man began to chuckle. A deep, and dark laugh that rumbled through the small opening of the mask. He had his hands in his pockets, with his head clocked to the side. The man was letting out a very strong stench that made Hide feel dizzy, and sick.

Hide took a step away when the man took a scary step towards him. The way Hide's face paled, and by accident, he released his own Omega terrified scent.

"A human Omega, in Anteiku." The man cackled through his mask.

Hide gulped. The man's voice was dark, and gritty. Hide could hear something scary in the man's tone of voice. He had the intention of hurting him. Hide trembled uncontrollably, while rubbing his arms.

Hide tried to keep control of his natural Omega instinct. The smell any Omega would release when threated. Hide tried to stop himself from continuingly releasing it, as it seemed to amuse the man further.

Hide jumped. He let out a shaky yelp when the man suddenly grabbed his chin. The man easily pulled Hide towards him. The man rubbed his skin, and let out a sickening groan. The man forcefully turned Hide's head to the side to look at the bite mark on his neck.

It was only when the man touched the bite mark, did Hide forcefully pull away.

The man allowed Hide to back away.

"You're untouched. A clean Omega." The man groaned with fascination. "What Alpha would mark you but not claim you? How pathetic. The Alpha isn't a real Alpha. I'll show you what a real Alpha can do."

"Hm. I bet you like it? Huh? How about you play with the big boys now?" The man added.

Hide wheezed. He slowly shook his head. He tried to back away from the man, but he was grabbed by the shoulder. The large fingers digging into his skin so painfully. Hide was forced onto his knees within seconds.

"I bet you'll enjoy my cock more than that stick." The man said. He took Hide's face between two large disgusting fingers. "Now, you can put that mouth of yours to good use."

A horrible icy coldness rush over Hide.

"I own you now. I make all of your decisions for you. You don't piss, you don't eat, don't sleep, don't fuck, and don't cum unless I say you can. Understand?" The man growled.

"Shit."

The man pushed his thumb into Hide's mouth. Without another thought, Hide bite down. He crushed his teeth together as hard as he could.

"Fuck!" The man howled.

Hide yelped as he was thrown back against the alleyway wall. His back hitting the walls so painfully, that it sent a horrible crack up his body.

The sound of skin snapping echoed through Hide's ears. He blinked his eyes furiously in hopes to clear the blur from his view. The sound of snapping, and cracking made Hide fell sick. His throat burned, and Hide thought he would really throw up.

Hide lifted his head. He looked at the man.

"You'll pay for that! You little whore!" the man hissed.

Hide's eyes widened. His jaw dropped as he stared. The man was hunched over, his back had twisted in a horrible angle and something burst out from his lower back. It was long, and bristled-like. It was almost like an animal-tail with many sharp points attached to it.

He tried to stand up, but the red and purple thing flung through the air and tackled Hide back to the ground. The thing was heavy.

Hide screams when the sharp points of the thing ripped into his shoulders. It tears, and rips at him. He could feel the pain. Hide swore his bones were cracking underneath the thing.

It hurt!

It fucking hurt!

Hide's breath is knocked out of him when the thing presses down on his body. Presses down awfully on his chest. He hears an awful cracking sound.

Hide thought he was going to die.

There's so much blood. Hide could see the red, smell it and even taste it. Blood drenched his clothes.

Every movement hurt him.

Something moving faster than Hide could see. The weight on him is suddenly thrown off. A loud crash erupted through the air. Hide felt the ground vibrate underneath him from the impact.

Hide tried to move. His body was screaming, or was it himself? Hide wasn't sure anymore. Hide was able to only sit up. He was sitting in a pool of his own blood and body fluids.

There was a tall figure in front of him. The figure had his back to him, and casting a powerful shadow over him. The mystery man's stance is strong and confident. Hide tries to figure out who it is but he didn't know.

At first, Hide thought it was Kuro but the smell… it wasn't Kuro's smell. At all. It was different, and more mature. But yet dark… completely the opposite to Kuro's.

Four, burning red-silk sharp-pointed things were prostrating out of the man's lower back. All directed at the man in white.

They were a blur.

They moved towards the man. The man in white screamed. Hide didn't know if it was anger, or pain, or something… but before Hide could even blink it was over. The man wasn't making a sound, and when Hide tried to see… a white blur shot out from above them.

The man had ran away.

Hide's view was becoming a blur. His body burned with so much pain.

The mystery man turned around. He walked silently towards Hide, and crouched down. He reached to Hide, but Hide himself pulled away. Hide just couldn't think straight, after a little bit of a fight (not really a fight) the man had Hide in his arms.

The man lifted Hide in a bridal way. It caused Hide to wrap his arms around the man's neck.

And then… everything went back.

Hide thought he was dying. He had died.

_'Are you ashamed of me? Do you hate what you see? It's okay to speak the truth, I wouldn't blame you,'_

Hide awoke god knows how many hours later. His body was screaming in more pain than ever before. He hadn't felt anything like this before. Hide whimpered. He didn't know this was what death felt like. It was worse than being alive in his opinion.

"Hide. Hide. Hide."

Hide mumbled softly. His eyes slide open to find a face close to his. He blinked up at the face. It was familiar face.

"Hide!" Kuro breathed out in relief.

Kuro's silver eyes were red rimmed. He was upset. Had been crying obviously.

"I'm so sorry Hide!" Kuro sobbed.

Hide blinked. He felt confused. He tried to sit up, but Kuro easily pushed him back down.

Kuro shook his head. His hands on Hide. He kept Hide laying down.

Hide realized he was in bed. The room was familiar. It was his room. He turned his head to look at himself. He was covered in so many bandages. His body was wrapped up in more bandages then Hide could count.

"What—" Hide began.

Kuro shook his head against. He gently covered his mouth. "N-no! Don't talk Hide!" he said.

Hide frowned up at Kuro. What had happened? Hide couldn't remember… it was all a blur to him. Hide was tired. His eyes were dropping, but he forced himself to stay awake. To stare back at Kuro in concern, and confusion.

"I'm so s-sorry Hide! I broke my p-promise!" Kuro cried.

With a painful hand, Hide reached up to Kuro. He forced a smile, and cupped Kuro's cheek.

Kuro immediately grabbed Hide's hand. He leans into it, with a deep frown.

"I couldn't p-protect you." Kuro hiccupped. "It's m-my fault for g-getting so distracted. F-for not watching you!"

"Ken saved you."

_'It's the truth, it was me, The darkness that you shouldn't see, Fading with this certainty, but who am I really?'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I have to admit something. I suck so bad at fights. Yeah...sorry about the boring fight between Hide, Ken and Jason. 
> 
> Well...how could I like not add Ken in? So now Hide has meet all four of the brothers!
> 
> This chapter was another Kuro and Hide bonding chappie! The story will be longer now I guess :'3


	5. Crushed but not yet defeated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading and commenting! I'm so happy you all enjoyed it! Hehe~ So this chapter goes through many different emotions for a reason :0 Also you will all get to see an old friend of ours...well it's their first step into my story lol Anyway, this chapter is inspired by the psychical therapy guide! Also by some personal experience! My childhood! I went back and found the very first story I had ever read that got me into fanfiction. It is named 'The Amethyst King'. It's a Code Geass story. (The author is so kind and sweet! I've found them on tumbler) 
> 
> Short story time! When I was younger, I was in a car accident. I had broken both of my legs, so it took a long time for me to recover. I had to go through psychical therapy, with my twin being my guide XD I took my anger out on him, and he in returned took the piss out of me. It was like a tug and tow contest with us. To see who will out do who! Looking back on it now, it was a difficult experience of mine. But I did eventually be able to regain my walking ability! I guess that might be why the story meant so much to me! (Other then the couple of course hehe) but the character had to go through a similar experience I went through. So the accident, the story, and the challenges we had to go through helped me write this chapter! It all inspired me with this chapter! I do hope you all will enjoy it <3
> 
> A big thank you to my beautiful beta: Cloudfarer! Thank you for going through this correcting all my mistakes! I really appreciate it!
> 
>  
> 
> Happy Birthday Hide <3

'Ken saved you.'

Hide rolled the words through his mind. Ken. Hide remembered Kuro mention Ken before. Ken is the eldest brother, if he recalled right.

What had happened last night? Hide tried to remember, but it was all a blur. All Hide could really remember was… a man in white, something that was red and pain. There had been so much pain. It hurt like a bitch. Hide's shoulder twitched at the memory.

Kuro had left him.

Hide felt so upset about it. Even though Kuro had promised to be back, Hide couldn't help but feel upset that Kuro wasn't here with him.

After the first time Hide had woken up, he had gone in and out of consciousness. He would wake up for a few minutes, only to fall back asleep. Kuro had stayed with him… or at least, Hide thinks he had. Kuro had been there whenever Hide woke up. Kuro had been at Hide's side within seconds.

Kuro kept apologizing. Whatever happened yesterday, Kuro said it was his fault, even though Hide had told him 'I forgive you', it still hadn't helped. Kuro just kept apologizing, over and over. It wasn't annoying or upsetting, no, Hide just didn't know why Kuro was apologizing… though he knew it had something to do with him being injured, but Hide didn't blame Kuro for this.

No matter what happened, Hide would forgive him.

Hide had woken up a little while ago, and this time he didn't fall straight back to sleep, instead he stayed awake with his body feeling numb and prickly with achiness.

Kuro had been called away soon afterward. He had promised to be right back, but Hide really didn't want Kuro to leave… but he did none-the-less.

Hide sighed. He was alone in the room. The room he had become used to, and have come to know as 'his' room. He shared it with Kuro. Hide's fingers twitched on his chest, and he turned his head across the pillow to peer around the room once again.

He missed Kuro. He was lonely.

Hide tried to move, but he could only shift a little from the awful throb that ran through his body. He hissed through clenched teeth, and decided to just lay still. He couldn't understand why he couldn't sit up. Sitting up just a little bit, but he couldn't; it just hurt too much.

It was only when the door opened, did Hide perk up enough to push the sadness away. He looked over to the door, and felt his insides twitch upon seeing an unfamiliar, but yet, familiar man enter.

The man sheepishly blushed. He was holding a tray with what looked like a bowl on it.

"Oh. I thought you would have fallen back asleep." He said.

It was the man that Hide remembered seeing quite a few days ago. He had white and black hair. Hide remembered his name was Haise. The second eldest brother of the Kaneki family. The same man that had read his book about Ghouls, and had accidently told him everyone was Ghouls.

Hide blinked once, and pressed his lips tightly together.

"Ah. I brought you something to eat. Don't worry, it's just fruit. Yoriko always says we have 'burnt' fingers." Haise said with a sweet smile.

Haise sat down next to the bed. He placed the tray onto the bedside cabinet. Haise then turned to look at Hide with gentle silver eyes.

"You need to eat. You haven't eat properly for the past week." Haise explain kindly.

Hide hummed thoughtfully. "I was attacked, wasn't I?" he said instead.

Haise looked surprised. He shifted on the chair, and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Yes." Haise said softly after a moment of silence.

Hide deeply sighed. He nodded his head, and stared at nothing in particular. That explained the wounds he had underneath the bandages, and why his body hurt so much. He tried to remember, but it caused a horrible headache; however, the only thing he remembered was a blurry red circle thing.

Something blood red and prickly flashed through his mind. Hide felt a shudder run through his body. He remembered the thing ripping into him. It had ripped along the front of his body, and Hide honestly couldn't believe he was still alive. He remembered the pain. It was awful.

Hide tried to sit up. His body screamed with pain, but he tried to ignore it. However he was eased back down.

"Don't try to get up Hide." Haise said softly. His eyebrows pulled together worriedly. "You could re-open your wound."

Hide blinked once and then twice. He stared up at Haise. As soon as his eyes lifted to look at Haise, he felt his heart leap into his throat. Haise had to lean over him, to keep him down and in the process, he had caught the dim light off the lamp.

Quite frankly, Hide thought he looked beautiful. The light had highlighted Haise face perfectly, and made his silver eyes stand out.

"I was stitched shut?" Hide blurted out.

Haise smiled a little. He gently caresses Hide's shoulders. "Yes. Kimi worked on you for three days straight. She was able to stop the bleeding; inside and out. Now we're just worried you will pull the wound open again. You're still in pain, right? I've got painkillers for you as well." Haise explained so sweetly that Hide generally felt bad for worrying him.

"I'm not in that much pain." Hide found himself lying.

Kimi had saved his life? Hide had to remind himself to thank her.

Haise snorted. He clearly didn't believe him, but he still smiled. His smile was just so kind, so generous, and Hide actually found himself parroting the smile back… or at least trying to. It was more of a crooked grin-thing, than a smile, but it made Haise chuckle.

"Not in much pain? I can smell your muscles, Hide." He explained.

Hide stared. He opened and then shut his mouth. "Whoa." Was all he said. He gasped it out in awe.

Haise could smell his muscles? As in how tender they are?

"Your muscles are tensed. I can tell just by looking at you that they're clenching and unclenching. Which is telling your nerves, you're in pain." Haise shook his head. "So take these."

Hide's amber eyes widened. He looked at Haise's fingers, and found himself opening his lips without so much of another thought. Hide allowed Haise to delicately push the white pills past his lips. Haise's thumb brushed along his chin, as he fed Hide the pills.

"Do they work on ghouls as well?" Hide asked after he swallowed them. "The painkillers I mean, since you guys can, like, regenerate within seconds right? But surely you still feel pain?"

Even when he is like half-dead, and buzzing with agony. Hide couldn't help but burst with curiosity and wonder. He couldn't prevent himself from asking the questions.

Obviously, Haise had similar thoughts but with a more… concerned edge to them.

"You ask a lot of questions for a recovering patient." Haise teased. The older man finally stepped back. Haise returned to his chair. His long delicate fingers brushing off Hide's tan skin, and resting on Hide's hip.

Hide pouted. He almost had the urge to cross his arms like a stubborn child. He would have, if his arms weren't bandaged up and too numb to move.

"It depends on the Ghoul." Haise finally explained.

Hide felt a tiny grin spread on his lips. He looked at Haise with narrowed eyes. Clearly he was eagerly waiting for Haise to expand on the words.

Haise smirked. He truly did find Hide to be a unique human. Besides, talking should help to distract the human from the pain. Or at least that's what Haise thought.

"Much like humans, there are many different races and types of Ghouls. Some ghouls are strong and can heal within seconds. They don't feel pain, they've never felt pain and they can brush it off. However, on the other side, there are ghouls that don't heal like that. Some ghouls are very much like humans, and it would take a while to heal fully. These ghouls are assertive to pain." Haise explained. "Painkillers help them. Other than those type of ghouls, young children that like to explore and adventure, do things that are… frankly out of their league need painkillers. Young ghouls, like young children, haven't get developed the RC cells probably. So they're fragile."

Hide listened like a child on Christmas. His face was adorable and Haise had to try not to laugh at it. He let out a tiny chuckle, which made Hide pout. Hide stared at him with a tiny frown.

Haise covered his mouth. "I'm sorry. It's just… I never expected a human to enjoy learning about ghouls…" He said. "Your face is so cute, almost like a little puppy."

Hide felt his face burn. He tried to look away, but found himself turning his eyes back to Haise anyway.

"It's not fair!" Hide pouted. "Don't tease a guy that can't move!"

Haise snorted. He laughed again. "Sorry. Sorry. I just… want to see if you have puppy ears." He laughed once more.

Hide pouted deeply. "A demon with an angel's face." He mumbled under his breathe.

"You think I have an angel's face?" Haise suddenly asked with a wide, and large, amused smile.

Hide's eyes widened. He gaped at Haise. "Ghouls have selective hearing too?!" he gasped out with a high pitched voice.

Poor Hide's face had become an even darker red if it was possible. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if there was steam coming from the top of his head. He could feel his ears burning as well. Hide had never been so embarrassed, so quickly, within such a short period of time. It really wasn't fair! Hide had just woken up from being attacked, from having something rip him apart and here he was… being embarrassed and becoming shy around a guy that looks so… yeah… what is his life coming to?

Hide sighed deeply. He turned his face away from Haise to look at the wall, his eyes half-lidded. He sighed once again, so deeply that his chest hurt. What's wrong with him?

Suddenly, Hide's eyes sprung open when he felt weight on his pillow. He froze still as he felt warm breath ghost over his ear.

"I think you're gorgeous. Kuro's a lucky man." Haise whispered sweetly into his ear.

Hide's eyes widened and his face became hot again. However it quickly was pushed to the back of his mind, and he snapped his head back to Haise to look at the man with frantic eyes. His heart skipped a beat in his chest.

"Where is Kuro? I haven't seen him." He asked. "Did he really leave me?"

Haise blinked once, before he smiled sweetly. He shook his head and gently ran his fingers through Hide's hair, his fingertips tracing along Hide's scalp.

"Kuro hasn't left you. He just needs time to process this. He blames himself for what happened." Haise said.

Hide frowned. "Oh." Was all he said.

He missed Kuro a lot. He wanted to see Kuro. Not that he didn't like spending time with Haise. Getting to know Haise, but… he wants to see Kuro. He felt strange being away from Kuro. No, it was strange that Kuro had distanced himself.

"Hey, don't get so sad, Kuro will be back." Haise encouraged kindly. "Kuro, he… well, he is disappointed in himself and blames himself. He's beating himself up over it. He thinks he has done it again."

Done it again?

Hide bites his bottom lip. "But… you promise he'll come back?" Hide asked before he groaned. "You must think I'm pretty pathetic, right? I mean… I've only known Kuro for a few days, maybe a week or two… and I'm…"

"He'll definitely come back." Haise interrupted. He then took Hide's weak, bandaged hand and gently squeezed it. "You're not pathetic at all. It's normal. You've bonded with him. You also got to remember, Kuro had been at your side ever since you got here, he was a friendly face among scary strangers."

Hide hummed softly. "Kuro also was the first person to scare me. He did bite me, which brought on so much pain." He said. As soon as he mentioned pain, and thought of that night of pain, his body throbbed to remind him that he was still in pain.

Hide won't lie though, he felt a little better that Haise had promised Kuro will come back, that Kuro had not abandoned him. Hide really wasn't sure what he would have done if Kuro really did abandon him… how could he have bonded with Kuro so quickly?

"I suppose you're right." Haise said thoughtfully. He tapped his chin.

Hide tried to shake the thoughts away. It would only make him even more sad, and on the verge of tears if he allowed it to continue. He breathed in sharply. His eyes closed briefly, and his mind clicked. The events of what happened, still fuzzy and not really making sense, only allowed him to remember the red thing that had attacked him. That had made him like this.

Hide frowned deeply. "Who was the ghoul that attacked me?" he asked.

"His name is Jason." Haise said. "He is the leader of an outsider Ghoul gang. Normally he stays away from Anteiku, but he must have heard that One Eyed Owl isn't here at the moment. He tried to use that for his advantage."

Hide peered at Haise. He bit his bottom lip again. "One Eyed Owl?" he mumbled. It was a lot of information to take in.

"Eto's group. Jason and Eto has had this rivalry since they were young. Both fighting over who the direction of Anteiku. It's strange. Eto actually wants to fill in Yoshimizu's views, and keep them in the future, while Jason didn't; and after he gained a small following that agreed with his ideals, he left." Haise sighed. "I don't think it matters really. Eto is strong. She's one of the strongest Ghouls here, and can wipe the floor with Jason."

"Eto really wants to keep Anteiku like it is? I find that hard to believe." Hide muttered. He remembered the girl on that first night he stumbled into the town or village, or whatever Anteiku is. She wanted his head.

Haise smiled. He chuckled. "Eto hasn't had the best history with humans, and she might not trust them… but she cares a lot for ghouls. You can't blame her. It's not my story to tell, but all you need to know is, Eto won't hurt you as long as you treat ghouls with respect. She hardly cares." He said.

"…So, she thought I was a risk to the ghouls… and that's why she wanted to cut my head off?" Hide asked.

Haise nodded. His hair bounced around his face, and with his free hand, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Eto has the thought of: attack and defend first, ask questions later. But you are not a risk in her eyes now that Kuro has claimed you." Haise shrugged. "You don't have to worry about Eto."

"Is this… Jason… scared of Eto then? Why did he wait until she was gone before coming to Anteiku?" Hide asked in confusion. "Wait. What did he want from Anteiku?"

"I never said Jason and his followers left quietly." Haise said.

Hide looked at Haise – stared into his sliver eyes, and felt a cold chill run down his spin upon seeing how dark Haise's eyes had become. Haise's face even darkened, and he clenched his hands. Hide winced, and peered down at the hand still holding his.

"Jason. He has the thoughts of… stronger Ghouls should be at the top, and the weaker Ghouls should… well…" Haise trailed off. He looked disgusted. That the thought on his mind made him want to throw up.

He was very disgusted.

Hide swallowed. His mouth was dry. He stared at Haise, and suddenly found his free hand reach up to Haise. He gently took Haise's cheek, not liking the expression on Haise's face.

"It's okay." Hide said. It was the only thing that came out from his mouth.

Haise blinked. He looked surprised. Haise's silver eyes widened, before his face softened and he smiled sweetly. With his free hand, he reached up to gently cover Hide's hand with his own. He leaned into the touch.

"You're really sweet Hide." Haise softly said. "Jason thought that weaker Ghouls, if they wanted to be protected and taken care of by the stronger Ghouls, should be kept as nothing more than pets – slaves."

Hide's eyes widened. He didn't say anything. He just stared at Haise in disbelief. Slavery? Pets? He shuddered as he thought of the man who had attacked him.

"You can imagine what Yoshimura had to say to that." Haise said. "I think Eto agrees with him because of her mother. Eto's mother… she was a weaker Ghoul and was treated as such. She hates him."

Hide licked his dry lips. He clicked his tongue, and nodded his head. He understood, sort of; still… Eto scared him shitless. He hoped he would never be on her bad side. Hide shook a little as he thought of Eto, and her crazed eyes. At least, she cared… or he hopes she really did care…

"That… man. Jason. He used a kagune on me?" Hide finally asked. The word 'Kagune' sounded so foreign on the tip of his tongue.

Kagune. Kuro had told him it was something all ghouls had. It was a part of them. A limb.

Haise smiled. He let out a gentle breath, and Hide realized the black and white haired man was still holding his hand. Hide's hand pulsed with so much warmth, and he found himself thinking about the warmth coming from Haise's larger hand.

"Yes. It was a kagune." Haise said. His eyes closed, and he sighed softly.

Hide peered at Haise. Haise's skin was so soft and warm in his hands. He felt embarrassed with the fact he wanted to touch more of Haise's skin. It was just so warm. Different compared to Kuro's.

"Do you have a kagune?" he asked before groaning. "Sorry. Stupid question. Of course you have a kagune."

Haise chuckled. His silver eyes glowed as they gazed back at Hide. Haise's pink lips pulled into a sweet smile.

"Of course I have a kagune… would you like to see it?" Haise asked.

Automatically Hide's eyes shined. He looked like a kid of Christmas day again. His lips ripped into a wide grin.

"Really? Kuro wouldn't show me his! I just assumed it was a private thing." Hide gasped out.

Haise shook his head. His face was glowing with amusement. "What? Private like asking somebody to drop their pants and show you their private parts?" he asked with a joke.

"Exactly!" Hide squealed out.

Haise laughed. He didn't want to, but he had to untangle their hands from one another. Hide immediately pouted, but he didn't look as upset as Haise got to his feet. Haise looked rather cool and collected. He was relaxed. It was completely different to Kuro who was always so anxious and nervous.

Haise sent a dazzling smile down at Hide. He straightened his back, and his beautiful silver eyes sparkled. The sound of deep, and loud snapping filled the air. The sound of sizzling steam also hit Hide's ears, it reminded him of the sound meat would make when it is put into a burning hot pan.

Hide felt his breath get trapped in his throat. His amber eyes widened as something long slowly advanced towards him. It was a bright color, it was glowing and actually shined a little from the lamp at the bed side. It was long and when Hide followed it with his eyes, he found it was connected to Haise's lower back. It reminded him of a tail. A fox's tail.

Hide's hands twitched. He slowly raised his hands, his fingers twitched as he slowly, and carefully touched the kagune.

"It's alright Hide. You won't break it." Haise said with a soft laugh.

Hide blushed. He ran his fingers along it. It was surprisingly soft and silk-like. Hide had been expecting it to be hard, and sharp, but it was the opposite.

Haise let out a gentle sigh.

Hide looked up at him and noticed Haise's face was strangely red. He blinked as caressed the kagune, watching Haise face.

It felt good?

~#~#~#~#~

'Hide. Are you okay? You look sad…'

Hide frowned. He grumbled to himself. He didn't know how long it had been since he was chained to the bed, all he knew was that he was becoming increasingly bored with Touka and Yoriko visiting him. He couldn't believe how somebody as cute and sweet as Yoriko was such a… pervert. He had accidently said it to Touka, and instead of being punched like he thought he would be, Touka had become a blushing mess of stutters. Just how bad is Yoriko?

Kimi – and by default Nishio – had come to see him, with Kimi being so sweet and kind, and checking up on his wounds, changing his bandages, and such. He felt rather surprised that such a young Omega was a strong doctor that everyone seemed to respect.

Haise had spent all his spare time with Hide, whom had, truthfully, been so curious and eager to hear about his work. A few times, Hide had woken up to Haise marking a lengthy stack of papers. He would quietly watch Haise in awe.

One thing that Hide had noticed, which generally upset him… was that Kuro had not come to see him at all during that time.

Hide's face was hot, like normal, he couldn't help but blush whenever Haise was around him, Hide always found himself blushing from embarrassment, being shy and bashful. However, this was even worse than before. All the other times, Hide was able to use the blankets to hide from Haise's wondering, intense eyes. This time, Hide had no other choice but to meet Haise right on.

"Hide. I have two younger brothers. You think I've never had to do this before?" Haise teased. "Not just that either. I have a group of young children that call me Mama…"

Hide pouted. He kept his down with blushing cheeks. "Wait. They call you Mama? You've never told me that before." He said.

He was naked. Bare as the day he was born… okay not completely true. He had a pair of white boxes on, but that was it. Nothing else. It was embarrassing. Mortifying. Haise had an arm around his waist, it was loose and truthfully, barely touching Hide's skin but it was enough to send goose bumps up his spine.

"Hmm. Well they're orphans, so I do take care of them." Haise chimed in his kind voice.

Hide peered shyly back at Haise. Haise didn't look fazed at all, and Hide wondered how many times did he really have to do this? Help somebody to clean themselves and then dress? Hide was able to walk somewhat now. He wasn't in as very much pain, but more of a dull ache. But he had help. Always. And that help was Haise most of the time, Yoriko and Touka…sometimes cute Hinami but mostly Haise.

"That's sweet of you. Do they have a Papa then?" Hide asked to distract himself.

Haise snorted. He smiled as he helped Hide pull up a loose pair of black slacks. "Not exactly. I dated a little, but I haven't met anybody who catches my eye. The kids keep saying it's because I'm a prawn." He chuckled. "They say I'm too picky."

Hide smiled. He loved how Haise spoke about his 'kids'. He could tell Haise cared about them so much. Loved them. It was so sweet, and always made him bubble with warmth.

"I'm sure you'll meet somebody eventually." Hide mumbled softly.

Haise gently ran his hand along Hide's chest, carefully keeping Hide balanced. His fingertips sending sweet chills through the younger man's body. "Someday." He agreed softly, his breath ghosting along Hide's skin.

Hide shuddered. His cheeks burning. He sighed softly and lifted his eyes to look at himself in the mirror. He gulped as he saw himself. Hide had a horrible bruise on his left cheek. He had a split lip that had started to heal, and his skin looked a little white. His stomach had used to be bandaged up completely, but now only had a few bandages, and he could see a few sickly red lines poking out from beneath the bandages. The bandages moved up from his stomach to his shoulders.

Hide's fingers twitched. He gently touched the bandage covering his stomach and let out a deep shaky breath.

Haise then helped him pull on a white shirt.

"Is this yours?" Hide meekly asked. He pulled at the dark blue hoodie. He tried to hide the fact he was breathing in the smell. He enjoyed it.

Haise smiled. "Yeah. I thought you wouldn't mind. It's a bit big for you, so it shouldn't stop you from moving around too much." He said and stepped back.

Hide nodded. He lowered his hand, and bundled himself up in the oversized hoodie. It was so warm and comfortable. He liked it, but he felt so sad. He could feel the sadness running through his body. For the past few days, he had been touching his stomach. He was anxious.

"Hide?" Haise called worriedly.

Hide looked up at Haise with a weak smile. "Hm? I'm okay." He said with a soft laugh.

Haise frowned. He gently took Hide's shoulders, and tilted his head. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Hide nodded. He tried to turn around, but he could barely take two steps without his body screaming for help. He frowned with displeasure. Hide hadn't like the fact he needed help to get around.

Haise hummed deeply. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully before he smiled. He walked towards Hide, and quite frankly scooped Hide up. It made the poor Omega yelp in surprise. Hide's arms immediately jumping to wrap around Haise' neck.

"H-Haise!" Hide gasped out with large round eyes.

Haise simple smiled widely and brightly. He held Hide easily, and then turned on the balls of his feet. He brought Hide back to the small room that Hide was beginning to dislike, and sat him on the bed. Haise then crouched and flicked Hide on the nose.

"Wait right here. I'll be back." Haise said with a wink.

Hide pouted. He wanted to hold onto Haise and beg him not to leave him on his own. Not to leave him and send Touka and Yoriko to his place. He couldn't listen to another debate on which one is better: butterflies or rabbits. He just couldn't. However, instead of voicing it, he nodded.

And then… Hide was left to his own devices… again.

Hide stared at the door. He found himself glaring at it, and groaning. He had spent so much of his time in this room, by himself. He groaned loudly, and placed his hands onto his head. He pulled at his hair, and sighed deeply.

He really didn't like being by himself.

Hide then looked down at himself. His eyes automatically returning to his stomach. He could feel the prickling sensation across the tender skin. He shuddered. Whenever he breathed in, he could feel the skin whine in protest. It was like there was a rubber band inside him that whenever he tried to breathe in, it screamed in protest and snapped back again.

He grimaced. He hated the feeling. He hated it.

Hide just couldn't but feel sad. It was always there, on the back of his mind. Whenever he spent time with the other people, they always asked him if he was okay, though he always said he was… but really…

He wasn't. Hide wasn't okay at all.

He sighed. He wanted to pull his knees up and cuddle his face into them but he couldn't. If Hide arched over, his body throbbed. He still couldn't move properly. He ran his hands down his face, and shook his head. He couldn't think about it. He couldn't spare it a single thought without crying. Hide couldn't bear the thought of somebody walking through that door and seeing him cry.

He wanted Kuro.

Hide felt his lips twitch downward. His bottom lip quivered. He blinked his eyes furiously. Hide rubbed them harshly to stop himself from crying. To stop them from watering.

Hide couldn't understand why Kuro had not came to see him, not even once. Why hadn't he? Hide had been waiting. He had waited for Kuro, but… Kuro hadn't even stepped into the room. Why?

Maybe… Kuro already knew?

Hide let out a low whimper. He couldn't stop it. It crawled between his lips when Hide tried to stop it. His eyes burned.

"Kuro." Hide fought against the sob.

He just really wanted Kuro.

Even if Kuro didn't know, what would he say? Hide doubted Kuro would still want him when he finds out.

Hide buried his face into his hands. He breathed in sharply. At least he hadn't broken down crying again. He was able to keep his eyes dry, no matter how much he really, really wanted to. Wanted to break down crying. But Hide could tell, his nose was already getting stuffed up and he hoped he wasn't coming down with a cold or something. That was the last thing he needed.

He breathed in as deeply as he could. He sighed to himself, and peered around the lonely, empty room. His lips twitched. Hide hadn't thought about that night that caused all this. He had done his very best to avoid thinking about it.

The eclipse… he was attacked by Jason. The Ghoul wanted to eat him, Hide thought. He had thought it was funny that Kuro hadn't claimed him. Hide felt his chest flare with hurt at the thought because… Kuro probably won't claim him now… though Hide wasn't completely sure what Jason meant by that, but he had hunch.

He was saved by Ken.

Hide hadn't brought up the eldest brother of the Kaneki's. But the Ghoul was on his mind. Why didn't Haise – or Kuro for that matter – want to talk about Ken? Was Ken bad? Hide just didn't understand.

Hide wondered what Ken was doing in Anteiku. Not that he wasn't thankful the man was there, because well… if Ken wasn't in Anteiku… Hide doubts he would be alive right now. He would probably be dead – or worse – judging from Haise's explanation on Jason's views.

He wondered if Ken was still in Anteiku after all this time… how much time had passed since then anyway? Hide was meaning to ask Haise. Just how long has Hide been on bed rest?

He wondered if Eto's 'One-Eyed Owl Team' was back yet. If Shiro was back yet?

Hide swallowed a lump in his throat and he stared blankly at a wall. Maybe he should ask Haise for a book? Or something? Haise had told him there was a massive library here, and that there were accurate books on Ghouls. Hide should probably get his hands on at least one of the books. He really was fascinated on learning more about them…

Hide groaned softly. His lips twitched as he sat there. He rocked his legs a little, and played with his fingers on his lap. He wondered just where Haise had gone and why it was taking him such a long time.

He wished there was a clock or something. There was nothing in the room to really kill time with. Other than listening to his depressing thoughts. He stressfully ran a hand through his hair. Ever since he had come to Anteiku – well more like, forced to Anteiku – Hide really hadn't been on his own since this had happened. Sure, he hated it, and was very lonely and sad… but Hide had to admit he hadn't really… done anything to tend to his Omega needs.

The mere thought of it made his face flush. Now, it was true that Omegas do go into heats. Some Omegas goes into heats every summer, others every three months, few once a month… each Omega has their own heat cycle… Hide had never had a heat before. His mother used to belittle him for it, because an Omega not having n heat was unheard of. It was strange, but Hide really hadn't ever gone into heat before, however, he does – unlike most Omegas – occasionally get… horny. Not as much as Alphas or Betas, and he would only get horny if he felt generally comfortable and wasn't expecting anything to interrupt it.

Hide thought he would be alone for quite some time. He had become adapted to Haise – or Touka and Yoriko – suddenly skipping off and not returning for hours!

Hide peered down at himself. He chewed his bottom lip. He hadn't really… touched himself since before he ran away from the village. But even then that was rare. His home was so strict, and tensed, it was difficult to even feel comfortable enough to feel… it. Hide had wondered many times if maybe that was why his body hadn't gone into heat before.

Anteiku was comfortable and homey to him – if he takes out the terrifying edge to it. It was as comfortable as anything he had ever been in. Even though it was boring and lonely in the tiny room, he felt safe and cozy.

He sighed deeply. Hide's eyes became half-lidded as he felt the familiar, but rare warmth fill him. His body flared, and his skin tingled as if there was many little butterfly wings fluttering across it. He let out a shaky breathe, and his hands twitched. He inched his hand closer his lap.

Hide let out a very unmanly yelp when the door swung opened. His eyes widened, and he puffed out his cheeks. Hide stared at the person in the door. Their eyes locked, and blinking at once another.

"Hide?"

Hide's face burned brightly. Quickly becoming hot with horror and embarrassment. He opened his mouth to speak, but instead a high pitched squeal erupted form his throat. He sat up straight, and his body burned at the sudden movement.

"Hide?" Kuro's familiar worried toned voice whispered.

Hide stared at Kuro. He had missed Kuro, so much that it hurt, but seeing Kuro right now, Hide felt many things; hurt, sadness, anger, embarrassment and of course, happiness. He tried to say something but nothing came out. Instead he turned away. Unsure of what to do or say. His body was howling for Kuro, but his mind and heart were so confused and hurt.

Kuro shifted nervously. He looked like an anxious kitten. He took a step forward, but then two back. He bit his bottom lip, and then took a deep breath. Kuro walked straight towards Hide, and fell to his knees in front of him.

"Hide." Kuro called.

Hide peered at Kuro from the corner of his eye. "You… You didn't come see me at all…" he said with saddened whimper. His lips twitched into a small frown.

Kuro lowered his head in shame. "I know. I'm sorry… I just… didn't… I have no excuse." He finally muttered. "I am so sorry Hide. I know I should have come to see you… I'm a coward."

"You are." Hide agreed. However he couldn't help the tiny grin that spilled across his lips. His eyes were becoming glassy as he finally looked at Kuro. He felt his heart skip a beat upon seeing Kuro look at him.

Hide had been expecting Kuro to be look down. He had been expecting Kuro to be looking anywhere but himself.

Kuro flinched a little but didn't disagree with Hide. Instead he leant forward, and laid his head on Hide's lap. He took Hide's hands, and gently stroked the hands with his thumbs gently.

"Will you forgive me?" he asked. His voice muffled.

Hide bites his bottom lip. "N-Not yet. But after some time I will." He admitted.

Kuro nodded. He couldn't blame Hide. "I messed up… so badly. I'm an awful Alpha. But I'll make it up to you." He said weakly.

"I missed you." Hide said.

Kuro clocked his head backward to look up at Hide. His white cheeks flushed red, and smiled shyly. "R-Really?" he asked. The tone of voice was wobbly, like he didn't believe Hide could miss him… miss somebody like him.

"Yes. Of course I have." Hide said with a soft chuckle. He reached up and rubbed his eyes. Hide was trying his best not to start crying, but the tears were coming anyway.

Kuro moved fast. He shot upward, and wrapped his arms around Hide. He hugged him tightly, but yet gently enough to not hurt him. The way he held Hide, allowed Hide to bury his face into the crook of Kuro's shoulder and neck, with Hide's fingers pulling at the back of Kuro's sweater.

"Where were you?" Hide asked. His voice muffled, but laden with sadness. "I needed you."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Kuro said.

~#~#~#~#~

"I hate you!" Hide growled.

Kuro smiled. "Okay."

"No! I'm serious! I'll never forgive you for this!" Hide hissed. His finger dug into Kuro's pale ones. Sure it did absolutely nothing, but Hide wanted Kuro feel a little discomfort.

Kuro hummed sweetly. He shook his head. The smile on his lips twitched, and widened. "I'm sorry." He said.

"This is worse than gym. And let me tell you something Kuro, I sucked at gym but I was good enough to tolerate it… this… THIS is something else completely!" Hide grumbled.

Hide's feet trembled on the ground. It felt like he had been able to walk, ever, in his life before. He was at least four or five steps away from the bed. It felt like he had been walking for hours, when in reality it had been barely ten minutes.

Kuro stood in front of him patiently. He kept the sweet smile on his face, and held Hide's hands. He was a little more worried about how white Hide's knuckles had become than anything else.

"You sucked at gym? I would have never guessed." Kuro teased.

Hide puffed out his cheeks. "What's that supposed to mean?" he whined, but laughed too. Or at least tried to. His body burned as he laughed.

Kuro's eyebrows pulled together. His face immediately flared with worry. "We can stop if you want too." He said worriedly.

Hide shook his head. "No. No. I passed gym, I can pass this!" he said with determination.

It had been Hide, himself, who had insisted that they do this today. After Kuro had returned to him, he had kept his word and stayed at Hide's side. Hide could tell Kuro was really trying. That very morning, Kimi had returned to check up on him and said his body was strong enough to start going through physical therapy.

Hide had told Kuro he will be doing that. So Hide could take out the annoyance on him. Kuro had gracefully accepted it.

"Okay." Kuro nodded his head. "If you're sure."

"Just give me a second. This hurts like a bitch." Hide breathed sharply through clenched teeth.

Kuro bites his bottom lip. He nodded his head once more, but he was still worried obviously. Hide couldn't blame him, he was panting heavily. His face was white from the pain, and Kuro just wanted to scoop the poor Omega up… but he held back.

"I'm sorry." Kuro said in a broken toned voice.

Hide blinked. Kuro had spoken so quietly that he almost missed it.

"What?" he asked. He peered at Kuro.

Kuro pouted. He stared at Hide with a look that told Hide he knew what Kuro was apologizing for.

"I'm sorry for allowing this to happen." Kuro stated. "I should have watched you better, or prevented Jason from getting his sick hands on you, or just been a better Alpha for you. I'll understand if you really don't want to be with me anymore."

Hide felt his eyes twitch. "Kuro. I'm going to throttle you in a minute." Hide grumbled. "Just give me a second to gather my strength."

Kuro stared at Hide.

"You think that because of an accident, I don't want to be with you anymore?" Hide said with a deep frown. He would have laughed if he wasn't in so much pain. "If I remember correctly, I'm the one who wandered off."

Kuro bristled. "But you don't remember." He said.

"Yes I do!" Hide wheezed. "I mean, I don't remember everything, but my memories are returning. I remember going to that alleyway willingly. I remember wandering off."

Kuro sighed deeply. "Yes, but Hide, you were looking for me because I got distracted and left you by yourself. I promised to protect you, to take care of you, but I didn't. It's my fault. I'm so sorry for allowing Jason to hurt you." He said.

Hide stared at Kuro thoughtfully. Yes, he hadn't forgiven Kuro for leaving him. For avoiding him during his recovery process. Hide really wanted Kuro then, really needed him then… but Kuro was here now, and that's all that mattered.

"Doesn't matter." Hide huffed. "Of course I forgive you for that. I still don't think it was your fault, but I forgive you for that if it makes you feel better."

Hide smiled at Kuro.

Kuro stared back. He opened and shut his mouth a little. "But not for… the last month?" he mumbled softly.

"A month?" Hide gapped. "It was a month? Damn… no wonder I feel heavy. I must have put on so much weight…"

"Hide… you hardly eat." Kuro snorted with a shake of the head. He could tell Hide was trying to avoid the question. He wasn't going to push Hide.

Hide huffed again. "Not true! I have a bottomless void inside me Kuro!" he said.

Kuro smiled. He shook his head. "Of course you do, Hide. Does that mean you'll eat all your fruit today?" he asked with a cute clock of the head.

Hide's eyes narrowed. His stomach twisted at the words. "Maybe." He mumbled which really was a 'no… probably not…' and Kuro knew it too.

A sheepish smile appeared across Kuro's face. He squeezed Hide's hands again.

"Fine. Fine. You win." Hide pouted. He shrugged, and tugged slowly on Kuro's hand. "Let's try this stupid walking shit again!"

Kuro hummed sweetly. "You're so positive, Hide…" he said.

Hide swallowed a dry lump in his throat. He inhaled sharply, and finally tried to place his weight onto his feet. It hurt. Burned like a bitch in heat. He winced, and bites his lips. Hide parted his feet, in hope that it would give him better balance, but it honestly just burned even more. Hide hissed, and forced his nails more into Kuro's steel like skin. Hide tried to lift his foot, which would be fine, but then when he went to move it… well the acid flowing through his veins spoke volumes. Pure agony.

"Damn it!" Hide yelped. "I change my mind! Kuro! You ass! You did this!"

Kuro chuckled sweetly, and cute. "Well. Um. I did say I'm sorry… and you did forgive me." He playfully said.

"You bastard." Hide huffed. "I want cheese for this!"

Kuro let out a playful gasp. "But Kimi said no cheese." He said.

Hide glared at him. "I'm in so much agony, that I don't give a damn if I have, what did she call it? Stomach cramps and violent shits. I want cheese for this." He said.

"I'll talk with Kimi." Kuro said.

Hide clenched his teeth together. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, a deep growl crawling out from between his lips. It hurt so damn much.

"That fucking asshole did this. What happened to him anyway?" Hide asked with hiss.

Kuro gulped. "Well…" he trailed off.

Hide snorted. He rolled his eyes. "Of course. The asshole got away free, while I feel like I'm giving birth to an alien egg!" he huffed.

Haise let out a snort of laughter. He was leaning against the door frame, watching the two and had overheard their last conversation. He had decided to stop to hear the rest of it. He hadn't seen so much banter before. It was amusing.

"Alien egg?" Kuro repeated.

"He means Aliens." Haise called up. "It's a book."

Kuro blinked. He looked back at Haise in surprise and then back at Hide. "And in this book… you give birth to an Alien through your stomach?..." he asked.

"No! The Alien rapes you through the mouth, lays eggs and then the Alien rips through the stomach." Hide grumbled. He had to admit, the book was strange. So very odd and strange, but it was a fascinating read.

Hide is glad he had asked Haise for a few books to kill time while recovering. He now had a nice small collection of books under his bed. Haise had jokingly told him he was trying to move the library into the room.

"Oh. Do you want another book for your book fetish?" Haise teased.

Hide swung his head around to glare at Haise. He puffed his cheeks out. "I do not have a book fetish." He snapped back in reply.

Haise smirked. He clocked his head in the direction of the bed. They could see the books spilling out from underneath it.

"I beg to differ." Haise chuckled.

Hide frowned deeply. His face blushing red. "And… yes. I want another book. Please." He muttered.

Haise laughed.

Hide, feeling defeated and deflated, forced himself to take another step. He groaned deeply. His body flared with the pain the step made.

"Ugh. Why does this hurt so much?" Hide whined.

"Well, you did have a kagune rip into you." Kuro pointed out.

Hide felt his eyes twitch. He clenched Kuro's hands tightly. "If I had strength, I'd seriously throttle you." He muttered.

Kuro laughed himself. "You know you would hurt your hand, right?" he asked. "I'm a ghoul and all."

"Oh! Now you're boasting how much stronger you are then little old me!" Hide whined in return. Hide snapped his hand out of Kuro's hand, and with the little strength he had, he smacked Kuro up side of the head.

Or at least tried to… it really was just a soft and gentle thud but Kuro decided to play along with him anyway. It clearly didn't hurt him at all…

"Ow! Hideeee!" Kuro yelped. "Why'd you do that?"

Hide huffed loudly. "You know why!" he said.

Kuro pouted, but smiled. He shrugged. "Yeah. I guess. But it proves how strong I am." He teased.

Hide gapped dramatically. "Mark my words Kuro! One day I will be stronger then you!" he declared.

Haise couldn't help it. Burst into laughter. He just couldn't believe what was happening between the two of them.

"Oh! Don't you start!" Hide growled at the older Kaneki.

Haise held his hands up. "Of course not. I wouldn't dare go up against the wrath of the all mighty Hide!" he playfully said.

Hide snorted. He stuck his nose up. "Damn straight you wouldn't!" he huffed loudly. "Damn. I never asked to learn to walk again!"

Kuro bites his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing because it was Hide's idea. Hide had chosen earlier on to get started on this. Not that Kuro would say that right now.

"I know!" Kuro beamed brightly and happily. "I did this all by my lonesome!"

Hide grunted. He puffed his cheeks out stubbornly again.

"What's wrong now?" Haise asked. His voice shook from the amusement he felt as he looked at Hide's face.

"All this stupid pain, and effort for what…" Hide trailed off. He looked back at his bed and glared at it. "Almost six steps? Ridiculous."

"Not ridiculous. That's great." Kuro said.

"It depends on the person who took those steps." Haise chimed in. "I mean, look at it seriously. For a baby, or a toddler, that would be a massive achievement."

Hide glared at him darkly. "Did you just compare me to be a baby?" he asked.

Haise smirked. "Or a toddler."

Hide grumbled deeply. "I hate you. Just want you to know that." He said with a deep pout.

Haise smiled brightly. He winked teasingly at Hide. "Don't worry. I'll love myself enough for both of us." He said with a laugh.

Hide frowned. He shook his head, and looked back at Kuro. "Your brother is damn annoying." He said.

"I thought you liked him." Kuro smiled.

"Ha. Aww. That's sweet." Haise chipped.

Hide grumbled. "You two are definitely cut from the same blanket." He mumbled. "Unbelievable… but that was oh so comforting Haise. I feel so much better knowing that I have made the same achievement of a toddler! Six steps, yay me!"

Haise smiled widely. He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame more. His head rolled to the side, cocked to the side while gazing at him in pure amusement.

"Well. It's a start isn't it?" Haise said. "Better than never walking again."

Hide grumbled deeply. He looked down at his shaky legs, and chose to ignore that comment because Haise was right… not that Hide would ever let the man know it. He could only imagine what Haise would do if he found out Hide agreed with him. How embarrassing it would be.

"It's alright Hide. You're doing very well." Kuro sweetly said. He held Hide's hand gently. "Are you alright with another step? Or do you want to stop. We can if you really want too."

Hide blinked. He sighed quietly, and shook his head a little. "I can do another step. Let's make this seven steps… to outdo the baby…" he mumbled the last sentence in hopes Haise didn't hear it but he knew that hope was ridiculous.

Ghouls had sensitive hearing after all. Especially as Haise let out a chuckle.

Kuro smiled encouragingly. He nodded his head, and took a small step backward so Hide had space to move his feet.

Hide breathed in sharply. He closed his eyes as he slowly slid his left foot along the ground. A horrible abrupt sharp pain ripped through his stomach, started in his abdomen and made Hide let out a surprised cry. His knees trembled, and then gave out.

"Hide." Kuro gasped.

Everything moved quickely, and made Hide felt dizzy. Hide barely was able to hear the sudden familiar snap of skin echo. Something long drove around his waist. Whatever it was had caught him before he even moved an inch towards the ground. He was held firmly, but yet gently, and even lifted off the ground effortlessly. Hide could feel his feet just dangling above the ground. Hide had clenched onto Kuro's hands as his body was thrown off balance.

Hide blinked. He blinked once and then twice. His eyes staring cluelessly into Kuro's. He felt a little confused, but when Hide peeked to the side he could see a familiar red, silk-like object projecting out from Kuro's lower back. Hide inhaled a sharp breath.

The thing held Hide tightly to Kuro. He could feel the rise and fall of Kuro's worried breath. Kuro's breath was very warm on his lips. Their mouths barely an inch apart. It sent a tingle through his body.

Hide blinked once more. He peered at the kagune. Kuro's kagune. There were two. One around his waist and another looping under his backside to make something similar to a swing-sort of thing. It honestly felt good to be off his feet, he supposed.

Kuro was so close to him, Hide could smell him. He wasn't sure what happened next as Kuro shyly began to leaned closer down and Hide found himself leaning up to meet him. Kuro's lips pressed against Hide's, and it felt just so right. It sent such a warm chill through his body, and Hide moved his hands to Kuro's chest. His fingers tightening around the soft sweater the man wore. He tugged gently.

Suddenly the realization of what they were doing hit Hide hard. They were doing this directly in front of Haise. With a blushing face, Hide pulled away with a low sound from the back of his throat. He twitched a little as he leant back into the kagunes holding him.

The Kagunes were almost exactly the same to Haise's. They were a bit skinnier, and a more baby red color then a dark red. They were incredibly warm, and soft. Hide pressed his hands against them and bit back a gasp from how they felt against his palms. Hide gulped, and nervously looked at Kuro. His heart skipped a beat upon seeing Kuro's face being glassy, red and just over all cute. Hide tried not to, but he found himself glancing over at Haise and felt horrified from Haise's amused expression.

Hide groaned and shook his head. He wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole. It was so embarrassing. It was just a few months ago he was in his home village, not even holding hands with an Alpha, not even friends with an Alpha, but now… Hide wasn't only friends with Alphas, he was kissing one, and was incredibly comfortable.

"Hide. You should probably stop that." Haise suddenly playfully said.

Hide blinked. He looked back at Haise with flushed cheeks. "Huh?" he mumbled. Stop what? They had kissed… he wasn't doing it by himself… Kuro had kissed him back.

Haise snorted. He had a smile on his lips. "Hide. You're releasing your amorous smell." He explained with a low chuckle. He clearly was finding this interesting, and amusing.

Hide pouted. His brain turned as he ran through Haise's words. He was releasing a what smell? Hide jumped in surprise when the two kagune holding him, suddenly gently lowered him onto his bed. He was placed on the edge with his legs over the side. Hide owlishly blinked with his hands on his knees. He lifted his hand to look at Kuro and watched in confusion as the kagune retreated to Kuro's back and disappeared.

Kuro awkwardly shifted. He rubbed the back of his neck. His face was so red. Hide had never seen it so red before, and not just that… was… was he drooling?

"I-I… I-I'll be back!" Kuro squealed out. His voice shaking as he spoke. He twirled around on the balls of his feet, and sped walked out the room. He walked with his back straight. He wobbled side to side as he walked.

Haise chuckled once more as Kuro left the room.

Hide's eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "Did… did I do something wrong?" Hide asked.

Haise looked back at Hide. He hummed deeply, and pushed himself off the door frame. He walked towards Hide, and crouched down. His silver eyes were glowing beautifully, sparkling. He clocked his head to the side, with an amused smile.

"Hide. Do you not know much about your Omega breed?" he finally asked after a few seconds.

Hide gapped. He felt a little insulted. He bristled on the spot. "What? Of course I do! I am an Omega, I know what happens to Omega." He huffed stubbornly. "Omegas are able to have children, boy or girl. They go into heats. They're submissive. They're kind and neutering."

Haise hummed deeply. "And what else?" he asked.

"What else…?" Hide parroted back.

"Omegas have many different types of smells they release. I'm starting to believe that you may not know half of the smells you release on a daily basis. These smells are important because it is how an Omega can express themselves. The smells are also used to tell other people and breeds how they're feeling, thinking and would like to talk about." Haise explained. He spoke kindly, and gently as too not upset Hide. "Just a moment ago, and even now, you released and still are, an amorous smell."

Hide felt a little dizzy. He knew Omegas could release a smell of submission but that was it… Hide had no idea that there was more than one smell… what even is an amorous smell?

"Basically you're letting Kuro know you want him to, well, take you." Haise said with a soft chuckle. "You are horny, Hide."

Hide's eyes widened. He gapped at Haise. "W-What?" he squealed loudly in surprise. "No I'm not!"

"It's okay, Hide." Haise chuckled. He put a hand onto Hide's shoulder, and Hide felt a strange, but pleasure-full chill run through his body. "It's natural. You and Kuro are mates now. You have his bite. It is only natural that you'd want him to claim you fully. Besides, you are an Omega. You must be getting close to your heat."

Hide blushed redder. So red that the tip of ears burned. He had, and was still releasing his amorous smell, which meant he was horny and read for his Alpha to take him… ready for Kuro. That was beyond embarrassing. He felt mortified. Hide had never heard of the smell before, never knew Omegas could do that… it made sense though.

"I-I wouldn't… know…" Hide whispered shyly.

Haise cocked his head to the side. "Wouldn't know what?" he asked in confusion.

Hide whined. His face becoming even redder with embarrassment. "I, um, I've never had a… heat before…" he finally admitted after a moment of silence.

Haise opened but then shut his mouth. He looked seriously surprised, which was different compared to his normally relaxed, and amused expression. He blinked at him before frowning.

"…Oh… well…that's something I haven't heard off before. How old are you? When did you present? You should have at least had one heat before…" Haise muttered. He put his hand onto his chin in thought.

Hide shook his head. He shrugged. "I was a late presenter, but I presented around the same age of other Omegas. My family, my mother, thought I was abnormal since I haven't gone into heat before. She used say something was wrong with me… this smell, er, amorous smell is the first time I've heard of it…" he admitted quietly.

"There's nothing wrong with you Hide. I think… human's, or at least the village you came from… I think maybe, they don't have all the important facts about breeds. Don't worry Hide, I'll bring you some books on them. Any questions about Omegas you can ask me." Haise smiled kindly.

Hide stared quietly. So it seemed his town really was behind in many things. He groaned softly and shook his head. "What about my… um… heat? You said I m-must be getting close to my heat?" he asked.

"I still think you are. Your amorous smell was strong. Blinding. Which is why Kuro ran like that." Haise laughed. "I think you will go into heat soon, but again, don't worry. If you don't want to experience it, you can have heat repressors. I'll talk to Kimi about it."

Hide gulped. Kuro had ran off because of his smell. Hide wasn't stupid, he understood Haise's underlying words. He had turned Kuro on. How embarrassing… he was becoming embarrassed a lot in Anteiku.

Hide felt a strange sensation run through his body. He was most likely going into heat soon? It made him shudder. He curled up a little, well, tried too, his stomach didn't allow him to pull his legs in much. He wondered what kind of other smells he had.

"O-Okay…" Hide finally said after a long moment of silence. Hide had been so comfortable about being an Omega. He thought he knew everything about being an Omega… but it seems he was… he didn't know everything about being an Omega.

He groaned deeply and rubbed his face. Hide hoped his face would cool down enough for him to get out his next question.

"What other smells do I have?" Hide asked. His voice cracked a little as he asked.

Haise smiled. Glad that Hide was trying to cool down, and understand. "Well, Omegas have many. You have many. You have at least five different scents for heat, and becoming horny, and such. You would have three different smells when your pregnant, a smell to calm children down when they're upset and distressed. A smell that would make children sleepy, and another to make children happy. You have a few smells for elderly people to make them comfortable. You have many. I'll get you a book on them too." He said kindly.

Hide felt a little star-struck. He seriously had a smell that would make children tired? Would help distressed children? He knew Omegas were all about children, but he had no idea about that. He wondered what other things he didn't know about being an Omega.

Suddenly sadness washed over him. Hide sagged on the spot. He has so many smells for… for… Hide bites his bottom lip. He tried to prevent himself from crying, from the tears from rolling, but he couldn't help but whimper softly.

"Hide?"

Hide turned his head to the door way. He let out a soft breath as Kuro returned. He looked more calm, and relaxed. Hide felt happy to see him, but he was still sad. He could tell Haise was becoming worried from the sudden sadness that over took him.

"Hide. What's wrong?" Kuro gasped. He rushed to Hide's side in a heartbeat. "You're releasing a distressed scent."

Hide sighed. Of course he was. He shook his head and forced a weak smile.

"N-Nothing. I'm fine." He lied. "I'm just overwhelmed with… finding out I don't know everything about being an Omega."

Kuro stared at Hide. His eyes gentle. He took Hide's hands, and stared into Hide's face worriedly. He didn't understand what was wrong, and wanted to make Hide feel happy. He went to open his mouth to speak when suddenly ruckus from outside gained everyone's attention. There was no window, but both Ghouls heard it.

Hide noticed how they both stiffened. He looked between them in confusion.

"What's going on? What's wrong?" he asked.

Kuro looked at Haise. He bites his bottom lip nervously. "Is… is that what I think it is?" he asked in a quiet, shaky voice.

Haise frowned deeply. "Yeah. I think it is." He said. His eyes darkening.

"What is? What do you think it is? Kuro! Haise! Don't ignore me!" Hide whined loudly. He took Kuro's arm, and tugged like a child. He puffed his cheeks out stubbornly. "Come on. Answer me."

Kuro smiled at Hide. He gently patted the blonde on the head. "Don't worry about it Hide." He said quietly. "You wait here."

Hide frowned deeply. "What? I don't want to wait here. What's going on? What can you guys hear that I can't?" he whined. He bumped his fists cutely as he spoke with annoyance.

Haise didn't say anything. He got up to his feet, and stretched his arms out with a deep groan. He pressed his lips together, and started at the door.

"It's her." He sneered under his breathe.

Kuro frowned nervously. He shifted on his feet. "If she's here, then that means… Ken's back again…" he mumbled.

"Yeah." Haise nodded in agreement.

Hide frowned even deeper than before. He grumbled under his breath. He hated being out of the loop. It was so annoying. He glared at the wall, since the wall had become his BFF for the past few days. He had nothing better to do anyway, but to make good friends with the damn stupid wall.

Who the hell was 'she' or 'her'? And what did that person have to do with Ken? The eldest Kaneki brother, who had saved him from… Jason. He felt annoyed, but also scared as he thought of Ken and Jason. He gulped with twitching fingers.

"Who are you guys talking about?" Hide tried one last time. But like before, both Kuro and Haise ignored him to talk among themselves.

Hide let out a soft growl. He somehow was able to get to his feet by himself. "Fine! I'll go find out myself." He huffed.

Or at least Hide thought it was a good idea. He took one step before his body screamed with agony from his stomach. His eyes twitched with unleashed tears, and the suddenly, he was scooped up by arms. Kuro easily lifted him.

"No you're not Hide!" Kuro chimed with a sweet smile. "You can't even make two steps without help."

Hide glared at him. He pouted. "Then tell me what's going on!" he cried. He wrapped his arms around Kuro's neck in fear that Kuro would drop him… not that Kuro would honestly do that.

Kuro just smiled innocently. "Nothing's going on." He said.

"Kuro! I literally just heard you and Haise!" Hide huffed. "Who's this, er, woman, and what has she got to do with Ken?"

Kuro simple hummed cutely. "I think you're tired Hide. We've been working all day. Maybe you need to lay down." He said and turned to the bed. He dropped Hide onto the bed. It didn't hurt, more like it surprised Hide as he wasn't expecting it.

"What?" Hide yelped and went to sit back up. Only for Kuro to push him back down, and pull the blanket over him. "Kuro! I've been bedridden the past month! I'm not tired! What aren't you telling me?!"

Kuro leaned down, and suddenly kissed him. He pressed his lips firmly to Hides, and before Hide had the chance to kiss back, he pulled back. "Hide. Please. Just stay here." He whispered against Hide's lips. "It's dangerous. You could be hurt again, so stay here where it is safe."

Hide blinked in surprise. "…oh…" he wheezed. He laid back onto the bed. His heart pounding in his chest.

Hide sighed after a few seconds. "Alright… but! I want cheese! No 'it's not good for you' shit!" he pouted with puffed out cheeks.

Kuro laughed. "Alright. Alright." He smiled. He kissed Hide again, but this time he held his lips to Hide's long enough for Hide to kiss back.

Kuro and Haise shared one last look. Then they both exited the room. Hide stared at the door, almost like he was expecting one of them to return but neither did. He sighed deeply, and ironically, tiredly. His body was throbbing from his physical therapy. Hide ran a hand over his face, and gently rubbed his eyes.

Hide couldn't help but feel frustrated. He had no idea what was going on, but he was curious by nature. He had got a few clues to what was going on, and Hide wished Kuro or even Haise had told him what was going on before they left! It was killing him not knowing.

There was a woman… apparently. Hide wondered if it was Eto? But if it was Eto, then surely Shiro would have been mentioned but he hadn't. This woman was somehow connected to Ken, and apparently it was very dangerous to have the two here… very dangerous. Especially for himself.

"Gah! This is killing me!" Hide whined. He ran his hands down his face.

There wasn't anything he could do anyway! He wanted to get up, and find out himself, but he couldn't walk without somebody helping him! He was so frustrated.

It was then that he heard frantic footsteps coming rushing down the corridor. Hide rolled his head over the pillow to peer at the open door. He was thankful Kuro or Haise hadn't thought about closing the door.

Hide struggled a little, and he completely ignored the burning pain that ran through his stomach. He sat up, and turned towards the door with wide, unblinking eyes.

A small, familiar girl. She was running past the door.

"Hinami!" Hide called out. And at first he thought she had not heard him, but then after a moment of silence, her cute face poked up at the door frame.

Sensitive hearing!

Hinami was just as adorable as Hide last remember. Her short brown hair was braided beautifully around her head, and held together by a range of ribbons and daisies. She wore a simple white dress with a pale pink cardigan.

"Hide?" Hinami asked anxiously.

Hide stared at her for a few seconds. "Er. What's… what's going on? Um, Kuro and Haise had shot out of here so quickly…" Hide said slowly. He avoided the fact that they had ignored his question and decided to add a small lie. "I didn't get a chance to ask them what was going on."

Hinami blinked thoughtfully. She put a finger to her chin. "OH. Um."

"Please Hinami. I'm worried." Hide pressed.

Hinami parted her red lips. Her lips formed an 'O' shape. Her amber eyes flickered, and she shook her head. "Oh. Well. Um. S-Somebody dangerous has, um, turned up. Everyone is worried. There is a lot of motion going on… everyone is anxious…" she explained slowly.

"And… it's got something to do with Ken?" Hide asked. "Oh. I mean, Kuro mentioned something about Ken as he left… so I figured."

Hinami bit her bottom lip. "Honestly… I'm not sure why… Ken's back here. But yes. It's him. From what I've heard, he brought something with him…" she nervously said.

Brought something with him? Hide had a feeling she wasn't talking about this woman with him. At least he knew it wasn't Eto… but then what is going on?

"Ah. I said too much!" Hinami suddenly squealed. She shook her head. "I have to go now. Stay here Hide. You're safe here. Trust me!"

Hide gasped. "Wait, Hinami!" he cried.

Hinami paused as she turned to leave. She returned to face him with a twitching frown.

"I've got to, um, pee!" Hide lied. He knew he was going against Kuro's words, but really… what else could he say? He just had to do know what was going on, and the bathroom wasn't anywhere close to the room. It sounded like a perfect plan in his head… he hoped… anyway.

Hinami stared at him. She quietly mulled it over, before she sighed. Her cheeks a blushed pink. "Alright." She said sweetly. She walked towards the bed, and crouched down to help Hide. She wrapped her arms around Hide's waist, and helped eased him from the bed.

Hide smiled widely. He wrapped an arm around Hinami's shoulders. "Thank you so much Hinami. I was worried I would have to hold it until somebody came back!" he chimed with a bright smile.

"It's no problem. I hope you're not in too much pain." Hinami blushed cutely.

"Not much pain at all." Hide said with a grin. He felt bad about tricking her, but seriously… well… he had no excuse. He just wanted to know what was going on.

Hinami nodded. However, Hide could tell she was somewhat worried. She didn't say anything, she guided him out of the room. Hide felt his breath get trapped in his throat as he stepped outside the room. He felt strange, like he was betraying Kuro while on the other side, he hadn't been outside the room for a month… he was happy to be outside it… he guessed. Other than the times Haise had taken him to the bathroom to wash, and help change a few days ago… this was all he was going to get…

Hinami, as gently as she could, guided Hide down the corridor. It was strange. To see so many ghouls running back and forth. All of whom were muttering, talking to one another anxiously and worriedly. Hide gulped as he watched one ghoul crawl into an open vent to hide… Hide stared at the ghoul before he shook his head.

"So… does Ken normally cause this much worry?" Hide asked.

Hinami hummed deeply. "Sort off. It isn't him, really… but his, er, comrade… who causes so much trouble." She sighed deeply. Hide got the feeling that whoever this comrade was, most likely this woman, Hinami disliked… a lot… which meant Touka probably felt the same way.,

"It's not just that either… it's what they've brought in." she sighed.

What they brought in? Hide felt his body twitch with curiosity and eagerness. He looked at Hinami thoughtfully. He could tell she was stressed too.

"Are you alright Hinami?" Hide finally asked. "You're stressed. Are you scared too?"

Hinami paused in step. She blinked in surprise. She looked at Hide, and smiled a little. "Yes. I am. Eto's not here, so who knows what will happen. You see, normally when… they turn up, Eto deals with them but she isn't here. Everyone is feeling the tension." She chewed on her bottom lip.

"Oh. I see." Hide breathed out. He began to think this was a bad idea.

Eto normally dealt with this? From what Hinami said, it wasn't really Ken who everyone was worried about, it was Ken's comrade and whatever was brought into Anteiku. Maybe it really was a bad idea. Hide thought about telling Hinami that he really didn't need to use the bathroom, but then… his bladder told him otherwise.

Shit… curse his small bladder. He really did need to go pee now.

"Ah. Don't worry Hide." Hinami smiled so sweetly. "Everything will be fine. Yoshimura and Haise will sort it. I'm pretty sure Ken won't course trouble, and will help Haise. Ken may not look like it, but he does care for his younger brothers. I'm sure they'll be gone in the morning."

Hide gulped. He looked at Hinami and slowly nodded his head. "Yeah. You're right. Thank you Hinami!" he chimed cutely.

Hinami smiled in return. Her face blushing so cutely. "No problem Hide. I'm so happy you're here. You're smell is helping the younger ones relax." She explained.

"They can smell me from here!" Hide gapped in shock.

"Of course. Like our hearing, with have a strong sense of smell. You're releasing a tranquil smell. Omegas release that smell for distressed children and elderly. It's strong!" Hinami smiled sweetly.

Tranquil smell? Hide hummed at the words. He felt his body buzz with warmth at the fact he was helping somehow. Even if it was just by his smell alone. He smiled to himself.

"We're at the bathrooms now Hide." Hinami chimed kindly. "I'll walk you in."

Hide blushed. How embarrassing it was to have a young girl help him pee… but he couldn't walk at all without somebody helping him. He mutely nodded and Hinami helped walk him up to the toilet before she exited the room. Thankfully she wasn't going to stand there as he went. He was great full. It took a while, but he was able to pee and once he had cleaned himself, by himself! He nervously called Hinami back in.

"Are you alright? You're not in pain, right?" Hinami meekly asked.

Hide still blushing, shook his head. He bites his bottom lip. "A little. But I'm okay. Thank you Hinami!" he said with a grin. He returned his arm over her shoulder, and they left the bathroom.

Just as they began to walk back the way they went, a loud howl-of a scream erupted from behind them. Both of them paused and looked at one another.

"What was that?" Hide asked awkwardly.

Hinami peered over her shoulder. She stared at the corridor quietly. Her eyes narrowed. "…" She opened but shut her mouth.

"What's wrong? What is it Hinami?" Hide repeated. He shook her a little anxiously.

Hinami narrowed her eyes further. She crushed her lips together, and puffed her cheeks out. "I'm not sure…" she breathed out.

Hide stared. He could tell she was telling the truth. He hummed deeply, and they started down the corridor. Suddenly they both jumped when the wall close to them gave out. It crumbled down to the ground, and the pair slowly poked their heads through the now demolished wall. It was a slightly darker room, with an awful smell coming from it.

Hide felt his chest tightened. He trembled with wide eyes. He stared with pure fear. Hide inhaled sharply with shaky hands.

A familiar large body was thrown at another wall. The man in a white suit howled as his body slammed into a wall by a familiar long Kagune. It was similar to Kuro's and Haise's, but it was more pinkish with white specks going along the top. It gave Hide the sense of feminine.

Suddenly one of the kagune shot at him and Hinami. Something flow around him. It was long and shielded them. Prevented the kagune from striking him and Hinami across the head. It was much thicker than the kagune, long and almost cord like. Hide followed it to find it was coming from Hinami. It was connected to her.

It must have been her Kagune… right?

Hide felt his knees buckle underneath him. His stomach tightened, like there was a fist inside him. He stared at Jason. He couldn't quite understand what was going on. But he could smell copper. Blood. It made him feel sick. Like he was about to throw up.

A woman. She turned to look at Hide and Hinami. Her silky, lavender hair fluttered behind her like a waterfall. It made her black and red eyes ooze with such darkness that it made Hide weak to his knees. She wore rather… fancy clothes, but they were stained with blood. She had a wide grin. A grin that terrified him.

"So you're the little Omega?" she purred out. "The one that had gained the Kaneki's attention. How very interesting."

Hinami tightened her grip around Hide. The sound of skin snapping came from her, and Hide watched with fascination as another cord-like kagune appeared with two long white butterfly-like wings. All of which moved to protect them from the woman.

Hide could tell Hinami was scared. She was terrified of the woman.

Just how strong… is this woman? Who is she?

"B-Back off, R-Rize." Hinami tried to warn. But her voice shook and cracked.

Rize threw her head back. She let out a loud cackle.

"Oh look! The little kitten suddenly has fangs! Oh how very interesting!"

"Well then. Omega boy! I brought you a little present. I do hope you very much enjoy it!"

Rize…?

Present? Hide turned his shaky eyes to Jason.

…What...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There! I hope it isn't too bad! I worked really hard on it! I hope you could seriously feel my emotions in it. I tried to put in what I was feeling into Hide!
> 
> Did you expect Rize to turn up? Or that she and Ken had hunted down Jason? But why? Gasp! So many questions! Hahaha~ I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 
> 
> I love Hide so much!


	6. Lonely Monster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoh! I'm back with a new chapter! Yay!
> 
> So this chapter was inspirited by 'Heat-Companion for Hire' by gum-weed! GREAT STORY! quite smutty, but it gave me a few ideas for Hide's Omega heats. Lol. It was rather cute too!!!
> 
> A big thank you for Cloudfarer for editing this!

_'The moon laughs, this cheesy scene plays over again.'_

He felt hot. It was brief and only a few seconds, but he felt a strange wave of heat start to rush through him. It twitched and only lasted a few seconds.

Hide stared at Jason.

It was the Ghoul that had attacked him. Hide felt an awful shudder crawl down his spin. His skin burned with the reminder of the kagune that had ripped into his body; the weapon that was used against him. The kagune that had ripped his flesh to mincemeat.

Jason. He scared Hide. Hide could still hear the gritty, and sly toned voice in his head. The blood-stained smile leering at him.

Hide trembled. Suddenly the woman cackled.

Rize. Hide reminded himself. He turned to look at the gleeful looking woman.

Rize's head was thrown back. She was laughing loudly. Her long purple hair danced around her face as she cackled. She laughed much like a witch. All she needed was a black pointed hat like the ones in the old fairy tales stories. Maybe a broom stick too…

"I bring you a gift, Omega. Instead of being grateful, you release a trepidation scent." She giggled. "Oh, how very wonderful."

Hinami frowned deeply. She stepped closer to Hide. Her own strange white and yellowish Kagune swaying in front of them to protect them in case Rize decided to attack them.

Rize, still smiling and giggling, held up her hands. Her pinkish and reddish kagune mimicked her arms, and were held up surrounding either side of her body. She cocked her head to the side, with the curls of her purple hair dancing over her shoulders.

"I'm not here to bring harm." She hummed. "You can trust me kitty."

Hinami grunted at the mocking words. She crushed her teeth together, and peered over at Jason. The man was pressed against the wall with shallow, and labored breathing. Her eyes then swept back to Rize in disbelief.

Rize rolled her eyes. She snorted loudly. "Really, I was trying to help. That pathetic excuse of a Ghoul attacked the Omega. Hurt him. I brought the Omega a gift, for him to do as he pleases with it." She said.

"His name is not the Omega." Hinami growled. She tried to keep her voice strong, but Hide heard it shake a little.

Rize's eyes narrowed. Her red lips pulled into a something between a frown, a smile and just a blank line.

It was like everything was in slow motion. Hide wasn't sure what happened, one moment Hinami was at his side and the next, she was thrown through the air. Hide let out a gasp from seeing her, but felt thankful that she was able to gain her balance and prevent herself from being damaged with her kagune. Hide noticed she landed on the other side of the hallway, crouched down low with her kagune hanging high above her.

The other reason why Hide yelped was because he no longer had balance. His body burned as he tried to reach for the closest wall to keep himself up right. His skin was wailing at him, however, before he could move, a kagune suddenly wrapped somewhat softly around his elbow.

Hide froze. He stared at the kagune. The pinkish, rubbery flesh was very similar to Haise and Kuro's own kagune, but it was nowhere near as soft or warm as theirs. Instead it was cold, like ice, and it was hard. He could feel the sharp tip of the kagune press just underneath his palm. It wasn't cutting into his skin, just lightly pricking it as if to tell him 'any wrong movement, and I can take your whole hand off'. He could see the white specks littering the top with the red lines flickering inside the pinkish rubber.

Long, spider-like fingers pressed under his chin. Hide felt his head being turned. He didn't fight the hand, or the fingers, and allowed them to guide his attention upward.

Rize was right in front of him. She stared at him intensively with her red and black eyes. Her purple hair was pushed out her face, and she generally looked somewhat like a normal girl.

"Well?" Rize purred. "What is your name, Omega?"

Hide stared anxiously at Rize. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His body was tensed with fear, and he felt like there was a stone directly in the middle of his stomach. The kagune around his elbow, right to his wrist, was really preventing Hide from being in too much pain, but he was still in some kind of pain. A dull ache.

"I-I…um….m-my name…um….H-Hideyoshi." Hide mumbled.

Rize made a deep hum from the back of her throat. She smirked widely like she had earned a prize. "Hideyoshi." She repeated.

Rize ran her fingertips down Hide's face. She gently caressed Hide's round cheeks.

"Hide-yo-shi." Rize sang out. "Do you not like your gift? I brought you the man that caused you so much pain."

Hide peered over at Jason as Rize spoke the words. He bit his bottom lip and found himself looking away. He could tell Jason was in pain. Even though Jason had hurt him, had done something awful, Hide still couldn't stand seeing somebody else in pain. He even smelled the sickly copper smell of blood. It made him feel dizzy, and his throat burned with the urge to throw up. He didn't.

"Don't you like it?" Rize giggled. "You don't like violence. Hmm."

Hide couldn't speak. He only shook his head. He couldn't handle seeing or hearing another person in pain.

"My-my. You're so cute. I can definitely understand the appeal. Your cheeks are so round, and so red. I'm sure you taste just as good." Rize said almost sweetly.

The way Rize spoke sent a shiver down Hide's spin. Hide found himself moving his head back from Rize when she leant in close to him. Her nose brushed along his cheek, and then she inhaled deeply. She even let out a soft moan.

Rize ran her tongue along Hide's face. She licked up from underneath Hide's chin and then up Hide's cheek.

Something faster then what Hide could hear or see, shot through the air. Suddenly, the kagune holding his wrist loosed and Rize let out a sound mixed between a laugh and a yelp of pain. Hide stumbled backward, and almost tripped over his feet. His wide eyes looked at the kagune on him and watched in surprise as it disappeared in a flare of pink and red. He had never seen such a thing before. When Hide looked at Rize, he found the kagune she had been using to hold him was flaring at the tip. Obviously the top had been cut off, and Hide wondered if that was like the blood from inside the kagune.

Rize giggled softly. She held the kagune in her hands, and watched as the tip regenerated.

"Ken-neth~" She giggled again, and swayed side to side. "You're so mean."

Hide blinked. He puffed his cheeks out, and tried to gain his balance. His muscles pulled harshly as Hide found himself stumbling and trying to catch his footing. But a hand delicately caught him before he could course himself anymore pain or even damage his insides further.

"I was only playing with him. I wasn't actually going to do anything." Rize pouted.

Hide stared at her in confusion. He noticed Hinami even relaxed, a little bit but she still looked worried. Concerned. She had fully withdrawn her kagune. Hide could still see the tip of it over her shoulder. Hinami stood up fully, and brushed off her skirt. She still looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here.

Hide felt bad from forcing her here. From lying to her and getting her into such a situation.

After a few seconds that felt like hours, but really was just a few seconds, Hide slowly turned to look at the person at his side. He blinked a little as he found dark eyes staring at him. Red and black, familiar eyes were staring at him. Hide felt his heart skip a beat upon seeing them.

The face was familiar. It was round, and a little long. Dark, almost pitch black hair was a little unkempt and messy. The hair flared upward from the base of his neck. He was taller than Hide, almost towering over him. Not just that, Hide could see a single long kagune behind him. It was more like Haise's kagune then Kuro's. It was more of a blackish red, rather than just red.

It was overwhelming.

Hide gulped. His throat hurt, and he struggled breathe probably. His mind clicked into place, and he realized just who this man was. It was Ken. The eldest of the brothers, and the one who had saved him from Jason…

At the thought Jason, his ears picked up the pain filled groan which made Hide flinch. Hide almost looked over at Jason. Almost, but was able to resist the urge. Instead, he found himself looking down. Unable to continue to stare into the man's eyes without feeling embarrassed and dizzy head.

"You're too… overprotective…" Rize grinned.

Ken peered at her from the corner of his eyes. He did not speak, did not make a sound. Instead, he closed his eyes after a while, and sighed. He sighed deeply, as if he had to put up with Rize all the time. He turned away with two fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

Hide felt almost sorry for him.

"You can't walk, can you?" A soft low whisper hit his ears.

Hide blinked. It took a few seconds to realize the soft and low toned voice belonged to Ken. He was rather surprised that such a voice belonged to such an intimidating person.

Hide's cheeks darkened. He opened his mouth to speak, but only a low squeal like sound fluttered out. So, he shook his head for his answer. Besides, Hide really didn't trust his voice at the moment.

Ken nodded in understanding. His red and black eyes flickered down to Hide's stomach, and then ran back up his body. It made him shiver and want to curl up to hide himself from Ken's eyes. There was just something about the way he was staring at him that made Hide just feel so… strange. He was uncomfortable.

Suddenly movement came from his left. Hide turned his head in time to see Jason anxiously stumble to his feet, and try to make an escape. The sound of wind whooshing, and something that moved quicker than anything Hide had ever experienced swung past him. The familiar blackish-red kagune that belonged to Ken swung through the air and grabbed Jason by his ankle. It effortlessly held the man upside.

Jason's mask clattered to the ground. Hide was rather amazed that Jason was able to keep it on all this time. He stared at the white mask clattered against the ground with a loud thud. Hide could see that the mask was chipped with blood staining the shiny whiteness. Hide's eyes then travelled up to the man's face, and blinked in surprise

Jason looked… normal…

It was ridiculous. Hide knew Ghouls looked human, but with Jason, the Ghoul that had hurt him. Had attacked him. So Hide had Jason as a monster in his mind. But Jason looked human like, and not a monster.

He wasn't a monster or a demon

Jason was held upside down by a single kagune. His round face, his flabby skin was sinking downward a little bit and his face grow red and blue. Jason's arms hanged uselessly, with his beady eyes wide and glassy.

He wasn't moving. He wasn't making a sound. Jason just hanged there. Still.

"What is going on here?" A sudden voice bellowed out.

Hide felt himself shudder from the sudden voice. He would have looked at the owner but he couldn't see over Ken's shoulder. The man was much taller than him. But judging from how Hinami suddenly stiffened, and bowed her head in respect, and Rize was suddenly very quiet with her eyes firmly on the ground, Hide had an idea of who it was.

"Ken?" another voice piped up. "What's going on, I thought you were going to wait for us in the main office? Is that Jason?"

Hide twitched. He knew it was Haise. That voice belonged to Haise, but the voice before him, it wasn't a familiar voice to him but Hide knew he had heard it before. At some point.

"Rize attacked us." Hinami suddenly said.

Rize hissed under her breathe. She sent a glare at Hinami. "I was just playing. It isn't my fault you can't take a joke." She snorted darkly. Her hair shielding her face from the eyes.

It was silent for a while. Hide nervously peered around the area, before he turned his head when he heard footsteps moving closer to him. Haise appeared near him, and immediately Haise frowned. His eyebrows pulled together, and his eyes zoomed onto something that Hide wasn't quite sure of. He wasn't sure what had gained Haise attention, other than Hide, himself.

"Hide!" Haise gasped in surprise.

Haise clearly wasn't expecting to see him. Hide knew that, because he was generally supposed to be in that room. Hide felt guilty for lying to Hinami, but then again, Hide did end up needing to pee anyway… still, Hide couldn't help but feel guilty.

"H-Hi." Hide breathed out because what else was he supposed to say.

Haise frowned. He quickly stepped up to Hide, checking for any injures and upon seeing none, he let out a soft breath of relief. Haise shook his head a little, and after a few seconds, Ken released Hide for Haise to take him.

Hide's arm immediately tingled with the warmth left over with Haise's hand. He nervously, and anxiously looked back at Ken for a brief second. His heart pounding in his chest so loudly that it echoed through his head.

"Are you alright, Hide?" Haise asked quietly.

Hide looked up at Haise nervously. He chewed his bottom lip, with blushing cheeks. Hide nodded his head for his answer. His fingers twitched as he took a hold of Haise's soft white sweater. He let out a quiet sigh of relief as Haise took his weight, and removed the burning acid pressure enough for Hide to breathe easily.

It was then that Hide realized it was Yoshimizu who had come with Haise. His hunch was correct. It made sense as Yoshimizu was the… head of Anteiku. The leader. Hide tried not to, but he found himself leaning into Haise anyway.

Hide felt more relaxed, and safer against Haise anyway. That, and the fact Hide felt like everyone was staring at him.

"Ken. Put Jason down." Haise sighed as he looked up at his elder brother.

Ken stared at Haise for a few seconds. He then closed his eyes, and unraveled his kagune from Jason's ankle.

The man fell to the ground in a loud, sickening, crack-like thud. He landed on his shoulders, with his legs bent backward. Hide winced. It looked like it would hurt. The crack Jason made when he fell, still echoed through his ears.

Jason just laid there like a sack of potatoes. It unnerved Hide. He could look at him no longer, and found himself mentally counting the threads of Haise's soft sweater.

Hide wasn't sure what was being said. He knew Yoshimizu was talking, speaking firmly and sternly, but Hide didn't understand most of his words. Whatever he was saying, Hide noticed everyone else was listening intently to his words and treating him with respect.

Hide tried to focus on Yoshimizu's words, but his attention kept being drawn back to Jason. Every time he found himself looking at Jason, he felt bile try to crawl up his throat. There was so much blood. Hide wondered why he hadn't started to regenerate yet.

Either way, it was too much. He could almost feel himself begin to cry.

He was overwhelmed, and tired.

Not just that, but oddly, in the pit of his stomach, Hide felt something strange. For the first time ever, he felt an awful sudden pierce of heat but at the same time, it itched with pain. It reminded him of the time when he was a young child in school, and he took sand paper to his skin. The horrible prickling sensation that ghosted the top of his hand was similar to the sudden flicker of pain he felt or a mere second.

It was there, and then it wasn't.

How strange.

Hide shook his head to clear himself of the thoughts. He gulped, and chewed his bottom lip. He hadn't ever felt that before, and he didn't have much time to ponder it, as the familiar pain of his stomach over took him. It reminded him of why he shouldn't be on his feet for long, or more importantly, that he couldn't be on his feet long. With or without support. It just shouldn't be possible.

And so, Hide let out a shaky and painful gasp. He coiled his arms to his stomach and felt his body twitch.

The pain came with revenge. It started from his shoulders, down to his stomach and along the back of his legs. Gosh, did he hate this pain. All because he had been attacked.

Darkness over took him.

Hide was really starting to wonder why he always fainted from the pain… He hadn't fainted so much before.

_'If I sing, will you see my pain? I can't step into the light, so I'll remain in the night,'_

~#~#~#~#~

"I had to pee."

Kuro made a sound. He stared at Hide with a look that made Hide shudder.

Hide sat on the bed with blankets wrapped him. He had a rather large, and thick book in his hands. He was just over half way through, and probably would finish reading the book soon… well that is if he could get over the pure embarrassment he felt from reading each word printed.

"I really had to pee, and Hinami was kind enough to help me." Hide said without looking up because if he did… well, Hide is sure he would be spilling the beans immediately.

Kuro frowned. He crossed his arms over his chest, and stared at Hide. Hide could feel it and it took everything in his full being not to fidget underneath the gaze. However, he felt the hairs stand up on end when he felt the bed sudden dip from another weight crawling onto it.

"I know you're lying, Hide." Kuro whispered into his ear.

Hide felt a shudder run up his spine. His face flushed, and he finally twirled his head around to face Kuro. Their heads almost colliding, which thankfully, they did not. Hide blinked with wide eyes, and twisted his lips together.

"I'm not lying." Hide said. "And how would you know if I was?"

Kuro smiled innocently. He cocked his head to the side, and gently ran his fingertips along the back of Hide's neck.

"Your scent glands." Kuro explained with glowing silver eyes. "You're letting out an apprehensive smell."

Hide frowned at him. He sort of knew what apprehensive smell was. It was basically an anxious smell. He was anxious.

"Of course that would snitch me out." Hide muttered to himself.

His damn Omega sweat glands were snitching on him about everything!

"I'm not mad or anything Hide. I'm just worried. Rize could have seriously hurt you if Hinami wasn't there." Kuro said. He rested his head against Hide's shoulder with a worried frown. "I don't want you to be hurt anymore."

Hide felt the urge to say, 'Ken was there too', but he didn't. Instead he reached up and gently stroked Kuro on the head. He couldn't blame Ken thought. Rize really was terrifying. He understood why Kuro was scared and worried. Thankfully he wasn't lecturing him on how dangerous it was like Haise had done.

He was just glad Touka had not popped in here for his head. Hinami was almost hurt too.

Hide felt guilty.

"You don't need to be guilty Hide." Kuro suddenly added. He looked up at Hide much like a little puppy with a warm smile on his lips. "It wasn't your fault that Rize had tried to attack you. Even if it was a 'joke', it's not your fault."

Hide felt his lips twitch into his own tiny smile. Even if it wasn't his fault he couldn't help but feel bad. He was grateful that Hinami was strong enough to save him, protect him from Rize's kagune.

"I was curious." Hide began. He nervously shifted. He wiggled to get comfortable against the pillows. "I wanted to know what had got everyone into such a frenzy. I was worried about you and Haise, and I felt… left out…"

Hide tried not to blush but he did. His cheeks darkened as he admitted to feeling left out. That he didn't like it when Haise and Kuro had left him behind. His fingers twitched, and he nervously made a sound of the back of his throat.

"So… I lied. I saw Hinami, and lied to her. I told her I had to pee, and she helped me. But truthfully, by the time I realized I probably was being ridiculous, and putting myself in harm's way. I ended up having to pee anyway…" Hide explained. "So technically, I wasn't completely lying. I ended up needing to pee, and Hinami was going to bring me back here after."

Kuro listened before he smiled. "Okay." He said.

"Okay?" Hide blinked. He turned to look at Kuro in surprise. "Really? Just… okay?"

"Yeah." Kuro laughed. He sat up and looked at Hide in the eyes. "I can't really be mad at you, or even tell you off for it. I've done it many times growing up. I've even put myself in worse situation. But please… just be more careful next time."

Hide smiled at Kuro. He turned to him and wrapped his arms around Kuro's neck. "I will. I won't do that again. Next time you or Haise, or anybody else tells me to stay put, I will… or at least I will do my best to stay put." He said with his head laying against Kuro's shoulder.

Hide hugged his… mate. He hugged him tightly.

He honestly had been scared that Kuro would be angry with him. Maybe it had been a pathetic thought. And maybe he was worried that Kuro might not want to be with him anymore… no matter how stupid the thought was.

"So, how much have you read?" Kuro asked. He peered at the book Hide's hand with such a warm, and loving smile. "I never pegged you as a reader, honestly."

Hide flushed. "I'm almost finished this book." He said. He lightly tapped his fingers on top of the healthy stack of papers neatly stuck together.

"And, what do you mean, you never pegged me as a reader? I was found with a book." Hide pouted.

Kuro let out a laugh. "I didn't mean to insult you. I grew up on books. I enjoyed them, and since I spent most of my childhood alone, books comforted me. Especially after Shiro began to spend less time with me, books were all I had. So, I mean, I guess I like that about you. That you like books, er, enjoy them." Kuro explained shyly.

Hide softly hummed to himself. "Were you lonely during your childhood?" he asked.

Kuro looked surprised. He opened his mouth but then shut it. "Um. Well, isn't everyone? At some point, they're lonely? I wasn't exactly lonely; and while I was still left by myself, I still had Haise and Shiro. Of course Touka and Hinami back then as well. So I wasn't very lonely, per se (Latin: by itself), but like all kids, I did get lonely at times." He said thoughtfully.

"Besides… back then Ken used to come see me. See us whenever he could…" Kuro added quietly.

His voice was so quiet that Hide almost missed it. It was the first time he had seen Kuro talk about his oldest brother in such a soft, and sad way. Hide chose not to push it. If Kuro wanted to speak more about Ken, then he will. Hide won't force him to… even if he was curious about Ken and the other brothers.

He had so many questions he wanted to ask but wasn't sure how to go about them.

"Hey, Kuro. What was your childhood like?" Hide asked in curiosity. "Have you always been in Anteiku?"

Kuro smiled wistfully. He turned on the spot. He laid down next to Hide, or well, he laid down fully while Hide was propped up on pillows. Kuro peered down at the open with half-lidded eyes.

"Not exactly. Ken brought all of us to Anteiku." Kuro said softly. "Yoshimizu took us in. He accepted us. I was ten at the time. Being at Anteiku was safe. It was nice. As the baby of the Kaneki family, I was shielded by my brothers. They… they didn't want me to see the world outside – see how awful our world really was. I guess they wanted me to stay their little, innocent brother."

Hide smiled down at Kuro. He placed a loose hand into Kuro's hair. He ran his fingers gently through the curls and felt his cheeks darken as Kuro let out a sound similar to purring. It was so cute, almost adorable.

"After Ken brought me to Anteiku, he spent most of his time with Yoshimizu and the rest with us. Shiro and I were ten, so that means Haise was twelve. Ken was fifteen. Ken was doing his best… back then to take care of us and I think Yoshimizu saw that." Kuro breathed out gently. He closed his eyes as he leant into Hide's hand. "We were close, too. At the time. The four of us. But then a lot of bad things continued to happen, and we all started to drift away. I am the baby, and they never stopped trying to protect me from the bad things, but I knew..."

Hide gazed down at Kuro. He softly hummed, and brushed his fingers along Kuro's scalp. "Did… didn't you ever tell them how you felt?" he finally asked.

Kuro hummed. His silver eyes opened a little, and he smiled shyly. "Thought about it. I wanted to help them too; I wanted to do my best, but I wasn't like them. I wasn't as tactical as Ken, nor was I as intelligent as Haise… and most of all, I am not as… courageous as Shiro. I was just me. Just myself…"

"I'm just a coward. I'm weak, slow and not smart enough… I can't do what they do." Kuro sighed. "I think I'd just be burden if I tell them how I felt. All my brothers… they're doing their best. That's all I could ever ask for…"

Hide sighed softly. He didn't realize Kuro felt this way. That Kuro was so self-conscious of himself. Hide didn't like that. Kuro was special in his own way. He was quirky, and Hide liked that.

"You're not a coward, weak, slow and you're definitely a lot smarter, Kuro. Just because you're not like your brothers, doesn't mean you're lesser than them. You're just as amazing as they are." Hide said. "They don't think of you that way either. You've just got to believe in yourself, Kuro."

Kuro stared up at Hide. He then swiftly move upward and then, they were kissing. Their mouths pressed together, and it was hot. Hide felt so warm. It washed over him, and made his body tingle from deep inside him. His toes curled underneath the blanket. It felt good. So good.

For the first time in a long time, Hide's neck even burned. The bite mark on his neck burned as if to remind him that the one in front of him was his mate. His Alpha. He belonged to Kuro, and nobody else. Hide shivered.

Kuro blindly closed the book in Hide's lap and gently pushed it off the bed. He pulled away with a soft pop and saliva dripped along his lips. Kuro didn't give Hide long before he was pressed up against him again. Their mouths re-connecting messily. Teeth, tongues and their lips moved together.

Hide leaned back into the pillows. He melted into the pillows as Kuro hovered above him. He could feel the warmth coming from Kuro's body, and it made Hide whimper softly. Hide wrapped his arms around Kuro's shoulders, and nervously ran his fingers through Kuro's dark curls.

Kuro made a sound. He pulled away with a gentle gasp. "Hm. Am I making you uncomfortable?" he breathed out shakily.

Hide blinked up at him in confusion. "No. Why?" he mumbled. Hide really wanted Kuro to kiss him again. To continue kissing him.

"Your smell. It's sour." Kuro explained. He then shook his head with a soft hum, and leaned back down to kiss Hide again.

Hide just brushed the words off. He didn't feel scared, anxious or nervous. There was no reason for him to have a 'sour' smell, but he chose to brush it off in favor of the feeling Kuro was giving him. He kissed back the best he could, and felt his legs slide open. He gasped as Kuro sank down between them, and Hide felt a little annoyed that there was a blanket separating them.

Kuro kissed along Hide's chin. He ran his lips along Hide's neck. His lips ran along the soft skin, and then nipped at his bite mark. It made Hide gasp from the sudden sensation to overcame him. Kuro sighed deeply, and ran his nose along Hide's skin, just breathing in Hide's scent.

Hide clung to Kuro. His head fell back and presented more his neck to the Alpha. His instincts were screaming at him to submit, to bow his head to the Alpha and oh god, did Hide want to. He sniffed softly, and bit his bottom lip. It felt so… so good.

Kuro suddenly rolled his hips against Hides. It sent a pleasure filled shiver up Hide's spine, and he tightened his grip on Kuro.

It just felt so good.

But when Kuro suddenly moved enough to run a hand gently down Hide's front, Hide yelped and pushed Kuro back. The delicate hand moved gently along Hide's chest, and began to move over Hide's stomach when Hide shoved Kuro back with all his strength. Hide being so much weaker than Kuro primally was only able to push Kuro back a little.

"W-Wait. Kuro." Hide yelped.

Kuro immediately pulled away with wide eyes. "What is it? I'm sorry, did I push?" he squealed nervously.

Hide panted. He was short of breathe. His face was pink, and his eyes was glassy. He turned his head with twitchy lips.

"I-I, er, it's nothing." Hide breathed out.

Hide slowly eased himself back up. His movement forced Kuro to sit up as well. Hide gulped, and crossed his arms around his stomach.

"Did… did I hurt you?" Kuro asked.

Hide peered at Kuro. He noticed Kuro was staring at his stomach. It made Hide squirm underneath Kuro's eyes.

Kuro's eyebrows pulled together worriedly. "Are you still in pain? Kimi said you should just be feeling a dull throb now." He said anxiously.

"I'm okay. I'm not in pain…" Hide said awkwardly. "…I'm just not… er, I'm just not ready for that…"

Hide knew he wasn't being completely truth. He wanted more than anything to continue, to touch Kuro and be touched in return. He wanted to feel Kuro's hand. He wanted to feel the warmth of Kuro's body more intensively. He wanted it… Hide wanted to do this but he couldn't… Kuro would know.

As soon as Kuro touches him, he would know.

"Oh. Okay." Kuro said. He could tell there was more to it, but chose not to push it. Instead, Kuro smiled sweetly, and brushed Hide's hair out of his face. "You should probably sleep now anyway."

Hide blinked at Kuro. He felt his cheeks burn at how sweet Kuro was. He sheepishly looked down at the blankets with a small smile.

"Hmm. Are you going to stay?" Hide asked. He was almost scared that Kuro would leave after the rejection.

Kuro smiled. He closed his eyes, and crawled back into the spot next to him. Kuro nested himself next to Hide underneath the blanket.

"Of course. I will always stay with you." Kuro said softly.

Hide smiled thankfully and in relief.

~#~#~#~#~

It was late at night. It was quiet, which was a great relief after almost a week of chaos. It was nice, still and soothing.

Hide awoke to a strong searing pain from deep within his stomach. His eyes flung open, and he let out a breathless gasp. His mouth stretched wide, and loose. He curled up tightly underneath the blanket with his legs arching up high to his chest. The pain ran through him for several seconds before disappearing.

Hide laid within the blankets still for a few minutes. He was panting softly, with his chipped lips slightly parted. His eyes wide, and staring at Kuro's sleeping face. He let out a shaky breath.

He wasn't hot or warm like he originally thought he would be. The room itself was warm but… Hide was cold. He was chilled to his bones. His body trembled underneath the blankets, and he slowly rubbed his arms in hope to warm himself up, but it never happened.

Hide was just so cold. He was sweating as well.

He sat up in the bed silently. He gulped, and his hands twitched. Hide peered around the tiny bedroom mutely before his eyes turned down to Kuro. He felt his lips twitch into a tiny smile upon seeing Kuro's sleeping face.

Hide reached a hand out to touch Kuro. To run his hand through the dark hair when he paused. Hide felt his breath hitch when Kuro suddenly shifted and let out a painful whimper. Hide froze for a few seconds before his brain clicked.

"S-Shiro. Wait." Kuro whimpered in his sleep.

Kuro was having a nightmare.

A nightmare about… Shiro?

Hide gulped. He shook his head and moved closer to the dark haired man. He gently ran his hand through Kuro's hair. He gently caressed Kuro's scalp.

"It's okay, Kuro." Hide whispered softly. He smiled as Kuro relaxed into his hand.

Hide let out a gentle sigh. He leant down to Kuro, and gently kissed him. He smiled as he pulled away, and just stared at Kuro's face for several more seconds. Hide then shook his head and sat back up straight. True to Kuro's words earlier, there was a dull throb in his stomach rather than searing, white acid pain.

Hide wondered briefly if maybe he should bring up the strange pains he has been getting for the past week to Kimi? They would come for a few seconds, but then disappear. He wasn't sure if it was an infection or something… Hide just knew it hurt. Hurt a lot, but as soon as he tried to pay attention to it, it would go.

Hide sighed to himself. So much has happened since he left his home. Left De Hakoiri. It had been a few months now. Hide wondered if his parents had given up looking for him, or if they even tried to look for him to begin with? He had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach that it was doubtful. His mother and father didn't care for him. Didn't care for him enough to look for him. He was an Omega – and an Omega to the Nagachika family was a failure. He was a failure and a burden.

It has gotten worse now too… since he was attacked. It had got so much worse. Hide wasn't even sure if Kuro would want him when he finds out.

It was strange. Odd to him. Ghouls treated Omegas so much better than humans did. They cared for Omegas, and were mindful of them. It was… just so strange. He had grown up believing, and knowing that Omegas are nothing but breeders, but Ghouls are telling him the opposite.

Hide ran a stressful hand through his hair. He peered at the stack of books in the darkness. Books on Omegas. He was still learning new things about Omegas. Things humans didn't know. Hell, Hide didn't know most of things he was learning about.

Like how many goddamn smells could he produce? And how they can affect other people, other breeds so easily.

It was scary.

Hide frowned. He curled his arms up to his lap. The overwhelming wave of sadness crashed over him. What good is he now? He was probably nothing more than a failure now.

He thought about laying back down and trying to ignore the sadness. To ignore the sadness to sleep, or force himself to go back to sleep. But he couldn't, he was tired but he just felt so sad. He could feel his eyes already burning with tears.

After a few more seconds, Hide decided he would make his way to the bathroom or at least try too. He slowly, and carefully slid off the bed. Hide winced as his body throbbed.

Hide winced as he got up. His legs buckled underneath him from being in bed for a full day. Honestly it was just yesterday he had used Hinami and ran into Rize… as well as Ken. It was the first time he hadn't used somebody to help him get up. He wondered if he really could walk around without help. Probably not… as he had only just started physical therapy…

His body burned from forcing himself to stand up without support. Hide frowned, and clenched his eyes shut. He breathed through clenched teeth as he felt the burning pain. It was horrible. It was awful. He mentally cursed Kimi out for saying it should just be throb. Bullshit it was. It hurt a lot.

Bullshit.

Hide sighed deeply. His eyes burned. He wanted to sit back down to relieve himself from the pain, but at the same time, he didn't want to. Where should he even go? The bathroom was probably the best bet to clear his mind.

He hoped nobody would still be up at this time… but he knew it was a long shot. Some Ghouls never went to sleep, others hibernated with the seasons, so the chance he would be the only one awake in Anteiku was slim.

Hide had to drag himself slowly along the hallway. He had to use his hands against the wall to help support his weight. Which was very difficult. His body was telling him he wasn't ready for this, and that he should be in bed with Kuro, sleeping but Hide ignored it. He ignored the logical side of his brain. The rest of his brain was probably giving that small part of his brain a wedgie.

Hide paused for a few minutes to catch his breath. It was taking a lot out of him to take a mere step. Maybe he really was stupid.

He sighed deeply. Hide forced himself to move in the same direction towards the bathroom. It took him triple the time it should, but he was a little bit impressed with himself.

_'Hey there, my lonely past, it was nice to meet you, but it will end soon,'_

Hide came to a stop. He blinked. There it was again. Somebody was humming to themselves. Well it started as a hum but would become a soft singing voice. If it really was a singing voice. Or just somebody talking gently in a sing-song tone… Hide wasn't sure. It was muffled, and a little hard to hear.

_'Leave those memories, leave those empty feeling,'_

It was definitely the same voice he heard before. Hide tried to remember where he had heard the voice before, but he couldn't put a finger on it. Hide shook his head after a few seconds, and turned in the direction the voice was coming from.

Hide forced his shaky feet to move. Very slowly. Ever foot step he made, his body itched with a throb and pain. He inhaled sharply. Hide walked along the corridor slowly and quietly.

_'It couldn't be any worse, can't you see? These monsters haunt me in my dreams,'_

The voice was quiet. It wasn't a booming singing voice, it was a gentle and quiet voice. It was so sad though. The song was sad. Hide was getting closer to the voice. He slowly walked around the corner, and peered down the hallway.

He hadn't been down that hallway. It was empty with a single door at the end. There weren't any other doors on the walls. It was quiet, and Hide wondered briefly if the person who had been singing to themselves had stopped. He had a feeling deep inside him that he wasn't supposed to hear the sad words, in fact, he doesn't think anybody was supposed to hear it.

_'I'll leave a flower for you, and when it does bloom, you'll know my dark truth,'_

Hide let out a gentle breath as the words returned. He smiled. Hide liked the gentle talk-sing voice. He really doubted it was singing, more like somebody talking to themselves. It was still nice, and Hide couldn't help but feel curious about who was saying those words. Who was talking, or singing, or whatever it was.

It took him all most twenty minutes to get to the door. It was chipped and looked like it was falling apart. Hide lightly pushed on it, to slide the door open, so Hide was able to peer inside.

It was outside.

It looked like a balcony. It reminded him of the type of balcony of churches from the novels he had read. It was dark, and looked like it was falling apart. Hide sniffed. He could smell the cold, crispy air and the sound of gentle tapping of rain.

It was raining? Hide liked rain.

_'It's the truth, My past is what I do cling to, It's the only part of me, That contains humanity,'_

Hide's eyes widened. He stared at the figure sitting on the edge of the balcony. The figure was sitting with one leg prompt up with his arm over the knee. Hide stared at him silently. He just silently observed the man.

Why was the man so… broken? Hide had the urge to hold the man… he wondered if that was a part of his Omega dynamic.

"Are you just going to stand in the door way?"

Hide jumped in surprise. He winced as his body disagreed with his sudden movement. He bristled a little in embarrassment.

"Oh. Um. I-I'm sorry." Hide squealed in a shaky voice.

The man turned to peer at him and Hide gapped. He recognized the face, and was surprised it was him.

"You're K-Ken." Hide yelped.

Ken raised an eyebrow. "Yes. That is my name." he said with a soft pitch of amusement.

Hide flushed under Ken's gaze. He fidgeted for a few seconds, and then slowly turned around. His body burned but he was trying his best not to hurt himself much. Hide's mouth was strangely dry, and he had a odd tight ball in the pit of his stomach. Hide brushed the thought off, and sniffed gently.

"Er. Y-You seem like you want to b-be alone. I'll g-go and erm, l-leave you alone. S-Sorry." Hide wheezed quietly.

Ken slowly stood up on the edge of the balcony. He turned fully around to look at Hide.

"You don't have to leave." Ken said. "You can stay if you want. Besides, it doesn't look like you can walk without support."

Hide frowned at Ken. "I can walk without support! It doesn't even hurt anymore!" Hide pouted.

Ken smiled. "I can smell it from here you know. Your muscles are begging for a rest. You should really be resting though." He said and after a soft second of thought. "Maybe I should take you back actually."

"No. I don't need to rest!" Hide huffed.

Ken stared at him. It was a rather intense stare that almost made Hide feel guilty. After a few seconds, Ken shrugged and turned back to look at the fallen city of what was once Tokyo.

"You're too positive." Ken said quietly. "When it gets too much, I'll take you back."

Hide snorted. He slowly walked up to the edge of the balcony. Hide made sure there was some distant between him and the eldest Kaneki. He couldn't stop himself from glancing at Ken in thought. There was so much he wanted to ask, and find out. After what both Kuro and Haise had been saying about Ken, made him curious.

He slowly leant forward to rest against the thick brick rail of the balcony. Hide wondered if there used to be statues. The bricks were rough under his fingertips, and he found himself peering over the edge. Hide didn't realize they were this high up. He felt a little dizzy, so Hide leaned back.

"You have questions?" Ken suddenly said.

Hide looked at him, and this time found his face heat up when he found Ken looking back at him. He quickly turned away with a gentle hum-like sound underneath his breathe. He opened but then shut his mouth. He had a lot he wanted to ask, but he wasn't sure what he wanted to ask first.

"You're… you're Kuro's big brother…" Hide found himself saying and he immediately wanted to smack himself for his stupidity.

Ken snorted with something similar to a laugh. Hide wasn't completely sure but he did know, it was rather cute in his opinion.

"Yes. I am the big brother." Ken said. It almost sounded like he was teasing him.

Hide's face burned brighter if it was possible. He shook his head, and glared out at the ruins of Tokyo. He probably would have been admiring it, if it wasn't for how embarrassed and annoyed he felt.

Silence filled the air, and Hide let out a soft breathe. He peered at Ken again.

"Erm. You saved me, right? F-From Jason." Hide asked in a soft, shy toned voice.

Ken tilted his head to the side. He didn't look at Hide, and just stared at Tokyo. "Yes. You thought I was Kuro. That's why you went down the alleyway." He said.

"Oh." Hide nodded in agreement. His eyes flickered as he listened to Ken's surprisingly soft, but harsh toned voice. He sounded so scary back in the hallway with Rize, but now, it was like a 180.

Hide inhaled sharply. He smiled meekly and said. "Thank you."

Ken blinked. He clearly wasn't used to being thanked. He glanced at Hide from the corner of his eyes. "Oh. Well, I couldn't let Kuro's mate be killed by somebody as disgusting as Jason." He said and noticed Hide shudder at the name of the ghoul that had attacked him.

Hide nodded his head mutely. He didn't trust his voice at that moment.

"I heard my little brother had taken a human Omega as a mate. I didn't believe it at first, but I guess I can understand how you've gained my brothers attention." Ken added after a moment of thought. "After I ran Jason off, I wanted to see why both Kuro and Haise were attached to you. I guess, it was my error as I told Rize. I didn't expect Rize to go and hunt Jason down."

"What is your relationship with Rize?" Hide suddenly found himself blurring out. He blushed so brightly that it spread to his ears especially when Ken looked at him in amusement. Looked at him dead in eye.

"My relationship with Rize..." Ken repeated. "I don't think that is any of your business."

Hide bristled. He wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole. He was just too embarrassed and horrified with himself. Hide nodded his head and turned back to look at his clenching hands. He frowned to himself, why was he even clenching his hands? And why did that answer annoy him so much?

…was… was he jealous? Why?

Hide puffed his cheeks out further with annoyance. He didn't know why he was so annoyed, but he was. And the coldness that had intensified since he stepped outside wasn't helping. He was thankful for the shelter, as he wasn't get wet but he was cold. His bones was cold, but at the same time, his stomach was warm.

He was just… so… something...

"So, why are you so sad?" Ken suddenly asked.

Hide jumped. He wasn't really expecting Ken to ask him anything, only reply to his questions.

"What?" Hide mumbled. "Oh. I'm not sad."

He really wasn't. He had been sad, moments before but that was overtaken by annoyance, and well, jealousy. For some reason Hide didn't understand, nor did he want to know why either. Hide just figured it would make him feel worse then what he already was feeling.

"I can smell it. Even now. It's imbedded in you. As well as yesterday. Other than being scared, you were sad." Ken shrugged. "Why? Are Kuro and Haise not treating you as you'd like?"

Hide stared at Ken. He wasn't stupid. He had heard the underlining message, and it annoyed him further. He huffed to himself and crossed his arms.

"No. They're treating me well. Better then Alphas and Betas do in De Hakoiri." Hide stubbornly said to the older man.

Ken peered at him again. "De Hakoiri? That's the human town to the south. It's almost two weeks travel to get there." He said before snorting to himself again. "How interesting."

Hide frowned deeply. Two weeks travel?

"I'm not sad." Hide said again. "And it's none of your business if I was."

Ken smiled. He clocked his head forward. His body crouched down on top of the stone rail of the baloney.

"That depends on my baby brother." He said in return. "If it effects Kuro, then it is my business."

Hide licked his dry lips. "So you do care about him." He found himself saying out loud and almost slapped himself.

Hide had to take a step away when Ken turned his head to look at him. The look Ken had was a bit worrying. It was dark, and almost promised him pain. After a few seconds, Ken closed his eyes and turned away with a sound similar to a growl. It sent a shudder up his spin.

"Kuro is my baby brother." Ken said darkly. "Of course I care for him. I care for him, Shiro and Haise. I do not know what they've told you, but I would appreciate it if you don't talk about something you clearly don't understand."

Hide grumbled to himself. He heard the insult. It stung a lot but he refused to let it show.

"Then why don't you tell me, so I can understand." He snapped back in return. Hide didn't mean to snap back at an Alpha… oh god, he had snapped at an Alpha. An Alpha that could probably hurt him easily.

A ghoul Alpha.

Hide cursed to himself for his stupidity. Kuro and Haise had said Ken was dangerous, and here he is… dancing on the edge of Ken's patience. He wouldn't be surprised if his life really did end right here.

"Tell me why you're so sad." Ken said in return.

There was something in his eyes. Hide tried not to stare into them, but found himself doing it anyway. After a few seconds, Hide sighed and turned back to the rail. He crossed his arms on top of it, and ignored the painful sting his body made as he leant forward to rest his chin on top of them.

"I don't think I can have children anymore." Hide said.

Ken blinked. He was silence for a few seconds. "What?" he asked.

Hide groaned. The Alpha was going to make him say it again wasn't he? He sighed, and closed his own eyes.

"I said, I don't think I can have children anymore. No, I know I can't. I can feel it." Hide mumbled softly. "Ever since… Jason attacked me and his Kagune ripped my stomach apart. I haven't been the same… there… where I'm supposed to bear. I'm certain I can't bear a child anymore…"

"And that's why you're releasing such a distressed smell all the time." Ken said. More to himself then to Hide. "I'm assuming you haven't told Kuro."

Hide frowned. "Of course not. Kuro, he… I'm pretty sure he wants to have a child with me. I want to have a child with him too… I… he…" Hide sighed. How was he supposed to say 'Kuro will probably leave me now…'?

"He won't leave you. Kuro loves you." Ken said.

Hide's eyes widened. He stood up straight to look Ken in surprise. "What? How can you tell? We haven't even said we love each other." He said softly.

Ken hummed softly. It was strange. It was like suddenly there was click and Ken was soft again. He was soft and gentle again. He wasn't trying to intimidate and scare Hide anymore. He was accepting Hide's words. It was just so strange and something…

"My brothers haven't had the best upbringings. They've had difficult and hard lives. Because of this, they had built walls. Walls that you've broken through. They've become attached to you." Ken said quietly. "I wanted to know why. I understand now."

Hide stared at him. He wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, but he would take it.

"If that doesn't give you an idea of how Kuro feels about you, then I'm not sure what else we can do for you." Ken added.

"Will you tell Kuro about bearing?" Ken suddenly asked in curiously.

Hide gulped. He shook his head. "Not yet. I don't want to tell anybody about it. I guess I'm still grieving for something I've never had." He said sadly.

Ken nodded in understanding. He finally climbed off the rail to stand on the balcony alongside Hide. "You told me." He said.

Hide shrugged with his head low. He was like a kicked puppy.

"Well. I don't know." Hide muttered. "Maybe it was because you don't like me… and I wanted you to stop scaring me…"

"I never said I didn't like you. I like you enough." Ken said. "What?"

Hide blushed. He looked away as he realized he must have been staring at Ken too long. "Nothing. I'm just… surprised and happy… I guess." He mumbled shyly. "I thought you didn't like me."

"I never said I didn't like you." Ken said immediately after. "I wanted to make sure you wouldn't hurt my brothers."

Hide pressed his lips together. He tried to keep his face straight as he looked at Ken. His insides fluttered with butterflies as he looked at him.

"O-Oh…and now…?" Hide asked quietly.

"I think you love them." Ken said. "I'm happy."

Hide blinked once, and then twice. He opened and shut his mouth. Love? Love? He loved them? His insides twisted and his hands shook. Hide went to speak but nothing came out, only a sound similar to a cat keen. He flushed redder and redder before he groaned and shook his head.

Love.

Love.

He couldn't believe it.

"Oh." Was all that came out.

Hide breathed in sharply. He looked at Ken, and chewed his bottom lip. "Earlier. I head… singing… was-was that you?"

Ken hummed. "Sort of." He said.

Hide frowned. He clocked his head to the side to peer at Ken's face. "What do you mean, sort of?" he asked quietly.

"I don't sing." Ken said firmly.

Hide snorted. A small smile spread across his lips. "It sounded like you were singing." He said playfully. "Why was it so sad?"

Ken frowned. He shrugged. "I used to sing it to my brothers when we were younger. Mother used to sing it me before it happened. I found that it would calm my brothers down when they were distressed and upset." He said quietly. He spoke so quietly that Hide almost missed it.

"Oh. You really do care for them. I thought that when Kuro was talking about you. I just don't understand why you left them on their own." Hide said gently. "I never meant to insult you. Kuro said he misses you, and I wondered what was so important for you to leave him."

Ken hummed. He nodded his head to Hide's words, and closed his eyes. "Sometimes. You have to take the steps to keep the ones you love safe." He explained quietly. "There are some real bad Ghouls and humans in this world. If I want my brothers to be safe, and at least a little happy in this life time, I have to be the one who gets hurt rather than them. I have to make sure… what's happened doesn't happen again."

Hide pouted. "That's a lot to take on." He said. "What happened? Everyone keeps mentioning this… event that affected you all. Kuro… Kuro said it was his fault… which is why he blamed himself for… J-Jason…"

"It wasn't Kuro's fault. It was mine. I was eldest, I should have seen what was happening and prevented it." Ken said firmly. "It isn't my story to tell, it is Shiro's. But what happened, I won't allow to happen again."

Hide blinked. So something happened to Shiro which had affected the siblings. He pressed his lips together tightly. He could prevent himself from feeling worried. From feeling anxious and concern.

"You shouldn't worry about it. I'm sure Shiro will tell you about it, in time." Ken said softly. He was staring at Hide again.

Hide could feel himself blushing again. He didn't notice the strange cold pain return to the pit of his stomach. He brushed it off as the throbbing his body made from him standing anyway. His fingers twitched and he tried not to look back into Ken's eyes but found himself doing it anyway.

Ken walked closer to Hide. His stare was intense. It was heavy and too much. Overwhelming, but yet Hide liked it. He tried not to show it, but he did.

"I see why they're so attached to you." Ken whispered softly, and almost sweetly. He ran his bruised finger tips along Hide's cheek. "You're so soft, sweet and you smell so good."

Hide felt a shiver run up his spin when Ken leaned in close. He sniffed deeply, and ran his nose along Hide's neck. It made him whimper, and Hide tried to take a step back but found there was wall behind him. Blood rushed through his veins, and made him feel dizzy.

Suddenly, Ken pulled away. He moved so fast that Hide jumped with a soft yelp. Ken's brow furrowed as he stared at Hide. He sniffed once and then twice before he frowned deeply.

"You smell so sour suddenly." Ken said.

Had Kuro mentioned something like before? Or was that Haise? Hide wasn't sure. He felt so dizzy, and why did it hurt to breathe all of a sudden? Why was his skin silk with cold sweat, all of sudden?

"You'll hurt yourself doing that." Ken said. He took Hide's hands, and noticed Hide's white knuckles. He stared for a long time, before his eyes narrowed.

Suddenly Ken let out a sound. It was something between a hiss and a growl. "Back in your room, have you nested?" he suddenly demand. He roughly took Hide's chin and forced him to look at him. "Hide. Answer me."

"N-Nested? Um." Hide breathed out sharply. Another horrible tremble of white pain ran through him. He didn't understand why it hurt so much. "N-No. Nested. Um. T-That's… that's…"

Hide let out a gasp of pain. His back arched, and he clenched his eyes shut.

What was happening?

"Fuck." Ken suddenly cursed. He blurted the word out, and the sound of skin snapping filled the air.

Hide barely saw the single kagune appear. It wrapped gently around him, and tried to help keep him balance. He wanted nothing more than to curl up. What was happening to him? He shuddered in fear. Was the wound somehow opening back up? Or was this something worse?

"Hide. Hide. You need to pay attention to me." Ken said. He pressed his palm to Hide's face. He gently took Hide's face, and tried to brush his hair out of his face. Ken noticed how hot Hide's forehead had quickly become. "You've got to breathe. In and out. Come on. I know it hurts, but you've got to breathe. Breathe with me, alright."

Hide stared at Ken. He let out a shallow, shuddering breath. He winced as it felt like there was something painfully sharp in his throat.

"Okay, good." Ken nodded in relief. "Shit..."

Hide frowned. He couldn't help the fear from building. His hands clenched onto Ken.

"I-I… W-What…." Hide winced. His body was unclenching, and the colour of his face was becoming pale.

"This is your first one then. Why didn't you get help? There was signs for this. You should have noticed them." Ken said worriedly. His own heart was racing.

Hide blinked at him. "M-My first what?" he cried. His voice hitching as another wave of pain came over him. His eyes glazing with water.

Hide felt so scared. He hadn't felt this before. What signs was Ken talking about?

Swiftly, Ken's eyebrows raised to his hair line. Realization crossed his face.

"Wait. This is your first heat." He said in realization. His eyes widened, and he took in Hide's form.

Hide felt like crying. Heat? This was his heat? No that can't be right. He read that heats were supposed to be warm, and hot. He wasn't supposed to be so much pain, and feeling so cold. Was he supposed to be so scared as well?

Was he supposed to wonder if he was dying?

"I-I've… I've n-never had a h-heat before." Hide squealed out shakily.

Ken swallowed. He looked around himself before turning back to Hide. "Do you think you could make it to the medical wring?" he asked quietly. He tried to move Hide, but Hide made yelp of pain. So instead, Ken carefully lowered them to the ground.

"Guess we're staying here then." He muttered.

"This… this is a dry heat Hide." Ken explained.

Hide shuddered. He stared at Ken. A dry heat? What the hell is a dry heat? He tried to think about it, back his body hurt. He was shaking, and he felt sickly. Heats were about being horny and wanting to be with their Alpha, but Hide was feeling anything but that.

"Sorry for this." Ken said suddenly.

Hide blinked. He was barely able to understand what Ken said before he was leaning forward. He felt something familiar, but not familiar. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He would have let out a cry, or anything from it but nothing came out. Instead his back arched and his eyes burned with unleashed tears.

After a few minutes, Ken stayed still against Hide, with his kagune and hands keeping the Omega still. Hide's arched back fell, and he slowly began to relax. His body was still shaking, but not as much, and the pain had faded to an uncomfortable throb from deep within him.

Finally, Ken pulled back. His eyes ranked over Hide. He slowly took in his features while he brushed his thumb along Hide's face. He could see Hide's heat slowly fade, but he knew it would return. At least everything calmed… or at least clamed enough for himself to relax and let out a soft breath. Ken ran a hand over his face.

"H-how did you…" Hide mumbled. He lifted a weak, shaky hand to his neck. Why was it throbbing and twitching. "W-What did…?"

He felt it. It was wet, and hot. A new bite mark on his neck.

"D-Did you… did you…?" He gaped at Ken.

"Did you just mark me?"

Hide stared at Ken. He didn't even realize his eyes were glassy with tears. His face was white, and his body throbbed with a strange numbness. 

"I had too." Ken said seriously. "Listen to me Hide. We've barely got any time before your dry heat resurfaces."

At the words, Hide felt a horrible, awful coldness itch deep within him. It twitched and begged to crawl up. He shivered, and shook his head. He didn't understand. His mind, his thoughts were scattered. All over the place.

The rain.

It was suddenly so loud to Hide's ears. It was burning him from the inside out, and he couldn't help but cover his ears with his hands. The cold breeze that he had actually liked was suddenly like acid. He was so uncomfortable, out of place and awkward. He wanted to run away and hide.

"What's wrong with me..." Hide whined to himself.

It was like nothing he had ever felt or witnessed before...why...why was his body doing this?

"Hey." Ken said almost kindly. "Hey. Hide."

Ken leaned forward. He leant himself on a single knee, and gentle took Hide's wrists. "Everything you're feeling. Coldness, being uncomfortable, sad...everything. It's the affect of the dry heat." he said in hopes to comfort the destressed Omega.

Hide whined deeply. His frantic teary eyes stared at his knees. Like a skittish kitten, he yanked himself away from Ken. All of his hairs stood up on end.

"Don't touch me." he grunted.

Hide groaned loudly. He covered his face. "Everything is so wrong!"

Ken frowned. He used a warm kagune to wrap gently around the poor Omega.

"It's because you haven't nested. It'll be alright Hide." he tried again.

Unlike last time, Hide leant into the kagune before it felt right. Everything else was so wrong, but the kagune was just so warm and comforting. It was right. He wrapped his arms around the kagune, and hugged it tightly. The kagune wrapped around him, as if it was hugging him back and the top of the kagune gentle stroked the back of his head as if to sooth him.

And then everything went black.

_'With tired eyes I face the sun, My new life has now begun, Though I may not be completely free, As long as you face it all with me. Should we… should we go back, back to the bridges that we've burned? Who knows what lies in wait for us, but I'll give it all I've got!'  
_

_'On the count of three, we will go; be careful I'll protect you; Even if I'm just this lonely monster. Although this is our fate, Please know, it's not too late, I am so happy that I met you, Farewell my long gone past, it's for you I do sing to know the pain won't last, leave those memoires.'_

_'Leave those empty feelings, know that it will get better, can't you see? I only see you in my dreams, the flowers between me and you, will one day wilt, you know this is true,'_

_'Even with my only song, I pray for you to hold on tight, and if I can't bear this misery anymore,'_

_'My requiem shall survive.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg! Poor Hide!
> 
> Hide's gone into a dry heat! OUCH. Worse first heat ever!!! Poor Hideeeeee!  
> How will he handle it? The dry heat is effecting him, so he isn't thinking straight. Basically a normal heat makes the omega really 'sexually active' while a dry heat makes the omega act in the opposite. Hide needed to make a nest, to help him. To make him feel comfortable enough for an Alpha to break the dry heat hohoho. But which Alpha? lol 
> 
> Was you expecting Hide to be sad because Jason might have damaged him womb? He might not be able to have children now :(
> 
> Ken marked Hide. To help him. If he didn't, it would have been tripled and Hide would be in way more pain! How will Kuro handle that? His big brother have marked his Omega! Gasp~
> 
> Don't worry! Shiro will be back soon!
> 
> Ken's sad lullaby is Kisetsu wa Tsugitsugi. But the English cover version by BriCie. Listen to it here <3 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XjZRXIgBb8
> 
> Thank you for reading :3


	7. Room 240

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here is the newest chapter! Sorry about the wait :)
> 
>  
> 
> A big thank you for Cloudfarer for editing this!
> 
> Hope you all enjoy this!

Kuro wasn't sure what he should be feeling. Anger? Sadness? He didn't know. All he could do was stare almost dumbly ahead of him. He was staring at nothing in particular. The voices were muffled to his hearing.

He was just numb.

His brain turned so fast. He felt dizzy, and sick. Sick to his stomach. Kuro could only imagine what Hide must be feeling, and going through right now.

God. He was an awful Alpha. He had let Hide down, not once, not twice, but three times now… There was no way Hide would forgive him after this. He should have known. The sour smell, the way Hide flinched and winced, and the sudden pain that appeared in his eyes… Hide had felt so cold as well. He should have seen the signs, he should have picked up on them.

Kuro felt the urge to hit himself. To pound his hands against his head.

How could he have let Hide down, what was wrong with him?

"Kuro?"

Kuro frowned. He tried to look up but he couldn't really see anything. He just felt so… broken. What could he do to make this better?

Ah… that's right. He wasn't needed anymore anyway. Hide had a better Alpha now. An Alpha that could protect him, and keep him safe.

Kuro was a poor excuse for an Alpha anyway. It was only right, only fair of him to just step aside.

"Kuro."

A hand firmly took him by the face. Bruised fingertips pressed harshly into his chin and he was forced to look up at the familiar face that only made Kuro want to run away. Want to sob and cry.

For all he knew… Hide probably wasn't supposed to be his to begin with.

"I'm an awful Alpha…" Kuro whispered.

Ken sighed deeply. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before he released his grip and then crouched down in front of his baby brother.

"You're not a bad Alpha." He reasoned.

Kuro inhaled sharply. Oh, but he was. He couldn't make Hide happy. Couldn't protect him.

He felt nothing.

"I am… I couldn't even tell that Hide was going into a dry heat… I am a horrible Alpha…" Kuro said.

Ken stared at Kuro's cherry shaped face. His face was blank, and he reached for Kuro's numb hand.

"Kuro, that isn't true." Haise's sweet and gentle voice breezed out.

"But it is." Kuro sighed. "This is a good thing…"

Haise breathed in a sharp breath at that. He fidgeted with his hands crossed underneath his arms.

The three of them were in a medium-sized room. It wasn't big, nor was it small. It had a single bed, with a desk and a bookcase filled with large and heavy books. There was a small open window that let in the sound of the storm outside. It was fitting for the tension of the room.

Haise stressfully ran a hand through his curls. He shifted on his desk, and frowned deeply at Kuro. He shared a look with Ken, and then shook his head.

"No." Haise said. "This isn't a good thing."

Ken winced at the words.

"Hide is not only in a dry heat, but he is also going through another bonding-bite change." Haise stated with another shake of the head. "The dry heat won't let him sleep through it this time. He'll be in worse pain before."

Haise sighed deeply. "Such an awful timing too… he is still recovering from Jason…"

Ken hissed under his breath at the name. He had agreed with everything his brother had said. The more he looked at Kuro's face, the more he felt bad. Only when his brothers were involved does he ever feel such emotions.

"Kuro." Ken tried again.

Honestly, Ken had not been expecting anything else. He knew his brothers better than anyone else. He had seen how much Kuro loved Hide, and how Hide had already begun to help heal Kuro. Ken might as well have taken everything Kuro loved away. The thought of him breaking the little that Kuro had been able to rebuild by himself was… torturing to say the least.

Kuro really loved Hide.

"Hmm." Kuro suddenly shook his head. "It is okay. You bite him to stop the dry heat to take over outside…"

Kuro had spoken in such a depressed toned voice. So broken, hurt and without emotion. It was horrible. Kuro slowly eased himself off the bed edge. His legs buckled underneath him, and he slowly began to advance towards the door frame.

"I'll… I'll leave it you then…" Kuro added quietly.

Ken narrowed his eyes. He grabbed Kuro's wrist to prevent him from leaving the room.

"Hide needs you." He challenged.

"Nm. He needs you more." Kuro said. "We both know who the better Alpha here is… Hide deserves that…"

Ken dropped his hand. He went to open his mouth to reply, to disagree with Kuro but Haise shook his head. He frowned deeply, and turned away.

"Well… that went well." Ken grumbled.

Haise hummed quietly. He tapped his fingertips against the top of his desk. "Well? What do you expect? You marked his mate." Haise said.

Ken huffed. "If I did not, then he would have put himself in so more danger." He said.

"I know. If you didn't, unmated Alphas would have smelled him and try to force him to submit." Haise said. "Still, you can't blame Kuro. He has been struggling a lot after everything had happened."

Ken mutely nodded. "I know. I should have come back sooner. I'm sorry I left you to handle everything on your own." He says as he turned fully towards Haise.

"It's alright. I know how important your work is. I'm sure both Shiro and Kuro know too." Haise smiled sadly. He shrugged his shoulders. "He has probably gone to Touka and Yoriko's room. Touka will put some sense into him."

Ken winced. "Ah. So, he is still friends with Touka-san." He said.

Haise snorted in amusement. "They've been best friends from the moment we came here." He laughed, with a shrug. "Who would have thought the little girl had a powerful punch."

"It's a bit… embarrassing." Ken muttered sheepishly.

"Why? Because she destroyed you that one time?" Haise teased.

Ken glared at him with a small pout. "It's more embarrassing because she was 11 and I was 16." He grumbled with a shake of his head.

"Then you probably shouldn't have called her, what was it again?" Haise grinned. "A weak little girl."

"I was trying to protect her." Ken bristled. "She wanted to come hunting, but she really was a little girl. I didn't mean to call her weak."

Haise laughed. "I know. She knows it too. Still, your face when she punched you through the table. Best thing ever." He laughed.

Ken rolled his eyes. "It sure didn't feel like it." He grunted under his breathe.

Still, Ken had the expression of guilt on his face. He softly hums, and peered around Haise's room thoughtfully. "This used to be my room." He said fondly.

"Used to be. When you left, Yoshimura gave it to me. I couldn't share it with the twins forever." Haise said with a dry chuckle. "I didn't change it much. Just added a few more books."

Ken hummed thoughtfully. He stepped up to the bookcase to observe the new books. He ran his finger tip delicately along the rough surface of the books before he looked back at Haise.

"You still have my Sen Takatsuki collection." He said fondly.

Haise smiled almost bashfully. "Yeah. I wasn't going to throw them out, and besides, you used to read them to us." He reminded.

Ken snorted. "I did." He said. "You were too young for them, but I couldn't say no."

"I wasn't that young." Haise pouted.

"Yes you were." Ken smirked teasingly. "You were also the most difficult."

Haise let out a playful gasp. "Me? The most difficult? How dare you..." He said but still let out a small laugh.

Ken closed his eyes. He was still smiling in amusement. "Drinking. Drugs. Smoking. I remember one night you had a glass in one hand and a cigarette in the other." He said.

"Well, I learnt from the best." Haise said while waving his hand loosely to him. "Learned from example."

"Oh yes. That is what my Friday afternoons were off. I forget that I kept you in the box by the bed." Ken shrugged. "I should have known you would learn from watching. My mistake."

Haise laughed. "A box? Really?" he said.

"Well I wasn't going to say a cage. I think that is a bit… unhuman." Ken hummed.

"Unhuman. I think your vocabulary isn't as what it used to be." Haise said. "I remember the days when you would use those fancy long words."

Ken put a hand onto his hip. "Ah. You used to carry a dictionary around with you." He said. His eyes flickered as he thought of the past.

"Hey. In my defense, you liked to use English words. Without that dictionary, I would be lost. Besides, learning one language was hard enough. It's called Japanese." Haise said. "It was very hard."

Ken nodded in agreement. "I should have been a better teacher. I should have helped you and the twins better…" he muttered.

"Help us better? Hello, if it weren't for you, I think the twins probably wouldn't have able to speak until they reached 20." Haise frowned. "After mother kept us in the basement… after she died… I think you did pretty well at getting us caught up."

Ken winced at the words. "Back then… I'm sorry I didn't save you and the others sooner…" he said after a moment of silence.

"That… that doesn't matter Ken. You snuck out to come and see us without her knowing." Haise shrugged. He tilted his head to look at Ken's face. "You did a lot for us. I know you don't think so, but if you didn't do what you did, we probably wouldn't be here. Shiro, Kuro and I would still be in the basement and you…"

"Mother would have killed me by now." Ken stated sternly.

Haise winced. "Mother… Mother wouldn't have done that… would she?" he mumbled and when Ken just stared at him, he shook his head. "She was mentally unwell."

"Yes." Ken clicked his tongue. "If I ate, I would be punished. Even to this day I don't like small places."

Ken lifted his head. He noticed the way Haise was staring at him and sighed. He anxiously rubbed the back of his neck.

"Mother… she would lock me in the small cupboard underneath the sink for hours on end. It was my punishment for defying her…" he said.

The younger of the two Kaneki finally eased himself to his feet. He walked towards Ken, and hugged him. "You never told me that before. I knew she would whip you if she caught you coming to us but I didn't know she would lock you into that cupboard." He muttered.

Ken hugged Haise back. He hummed softly as he leaned his head against Haise's shoulder. He had forgotten how soft and comfortable Haise's sweaters were. He had almost forgotten a lot about his brothers. He frowned with guilt.

He had been away too long.

"Well, I didn't want you to know. I knew what you did for the twins." Ken said. "When I could sneak you guys food, or well… couldn't come at all. I could smell it."

Haise flushed. He shrugged. "Well… before the twins were born… you used to do it for me. I thought it would help them too… so I did it." He said.

After a few seconds of brothers taking comfort from one another, they pulled away.

"If I didn't… they would have died. Mother put them down there as soon as they were born." Haise explained nervously.

"I'm sorry about that too." Ken sighed deeply.

"What?" Haise chuckled. "Mother allowed you down in the basement – until the twins had become old enough to stop screaming, that is."

Ken didn't say anything. He just nodded his head. He turned away once more, and rubbed a hand over face. He did not like remembering his time back then. What he had to do, and what she had put him and his brothers through… just because of who they are and what they are.

The world was wrong.

"The world is a cruel place." Haise breathed after the comforting moment of silence between the two of them.

Ken agreed.

Ken blinked. "Do you think Kuro will forgive me?" he asked quietly.

"Of course he will." Haise said. "Kuro understands why you bit Hide. He knows that if you had not, Hide could have been hurt, and… raped… but he is just emotional. You know out of all of us, Kuro is more sensitive, and is more connected to his emotions."

Haise twitched as he spoke. That was not a thought he liked. He hoped Hide will bounce back from the heat and new mark, but if Ken had not been there and some other Ghoul Alpha had found him… Haise isn't sure if Hide would be able to handle it. If he could have healed from trauma like that.

Haise is thankful that Ken had been with Hide at the time.

"Even though it is a Dry Heat, and his smell is sour, just the smell of an unclaimed Omega would have driven Alphas crazy with lust. It was a smart move to bite him right as he was going into the heat. It overran the nerves for the time being." Haise said thoughtfully. He rubbed his chin as he thought of it.

It was clever. A good move and it had saved Hide's life… and his virginity.

Ken pressed his lips into a thin line. "I'm happy for Kuro. He really does love that Omega… I hope I haven't ruined it for him…" he mumbled softly.

"Ruined it for him?" Haise repeated. "No. I don't think that's happened. I think Kuro's mind is all over the place. I'm sure the girls are helping him get his thoughts together. You know how it is without Shiro around."

"Shiro's out?" Ken questioned.

"Ah…" Haise frowned. "Eto's group was supposed to be back yesterday."

That gained Ken's attention. His eyes narrowed, and he clocked his head to the side. "What do you mean, supposed to be back yesterday? Where are they?" he asked.

Haise hummed. He immediately picked up on Ken's big brother protective tone. He was worried about Shiro. Same with himself, but he was distracting himself with Kuro and Hide and Ken.

"Don't worry." He chuckled. "This happens a lot. Most likely they've camped somewhere in the ruins. Eto and the others like to camp for a few days before returning."

Ken didn't look much convinced. "I don't trust Eto with Shiro." He grunted.

"Ah. Eto doesn't trust herself with anyone either." Haise said with a low laugh. He shrugged when Ken gave him a look. "I know it is hard to believe but Eto does care for her team. Shiro's the baby, her baby… she won't let anything happen to him."

Ken locked his jaw. "Last time I saw Eto, she tried to take my head off. I apologize if I don't trust her." He said.

"She didn't try to take your head off." Haise rolled his eyes. "You're being overdramatic."

"Overdramatic…" Ken grumbled.

Haise smirked. He crossed his arms and cocked his head. "She had a crush on you when she was young. That's all." He said.

"That's all? Haise. I could quite easily handle a 12 year old's crush. That was easy. It is what happened when she realized I didn't like her back – she tried to rip my head off." Ken said in return.

"Rejection. It's hard." Haise said. He brushed of Ken's words.

Ken shook his head. "You know what, just you wait. You'll gain somebodies attention, and when you reject them, it won't be pretty." He muttered.

"I already have." Haise said sweetly.

Ken's eyes widened. "You have?" he gapped in surprise. "Who?"

"Ah. Well remember Mutsuki Tooru?" Haise hummed softly. He smiled as he thought of the person.

"You mean the shy, quiet book worm that stuck to you like glue when we were young?" Ken asked. "Did she have a crush on you?"

"He." Haise corrected. He clicked his tongue, and then nodded. "Yes. He had a crush on me. Made sense as after his parents abounded him and his Father had hurt him before he came to Anteiku. It was only logical that he would latch onto the only person who showed him kindness."

Ken frowned. "His Father abused him?" he asked quietly.

Haise nodded. "Well, after he told me he liked me, I had to let him down. He was hurt, but we're still close. I still take care of him, and he still calls me 'Maman'. The pain of rejection lesser over time thanks to the Quinx Squad, and he got over it. Tooru has become pretty close to another student of mine. Kuki Urie."

"I don't think Tooru even realizes how much he and Urie have bonded. I expect them to be mated in a few years." Haise added.

Ken frowned even deeper. "How come I get the murders girl, and you get a cinnamon bean?" he muttered to himself.

"Did you just call Tooru a cinnamon bean?" Haise laughed.

Ken shrugged. "If the shoe fits." He muttered.

Haise just grinned.

"What do you think of this Omega? Hide?" Ken suddenly asked.

Haise blinked his silver eyes in surprise. He wasn't expecting Ken to ask. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, as he felt for his bed to sit on. "What do I think of Hide? He's a smart man. Hide is from a human town named De Hakoiri. I've done some research on it; De Hakoiri is one of the towns that doesn't want to be a part of the treaty. They're just over 2 weeks away, and they have hunters who have weapons of old. Weapons that can hurt us but not kill us, however, if it was more than one hunter… yeah, they could kill us. Yoshimura is being weary of them. Last I heard he had sent a few top Ghouls to go investigate the town."

"Hide was found on the outer edge of Anteiku. He was in a hunter's suit, with a book on Ghouls that was wrong by the way." Haise explained.

Ken's eyebrows pulled together. "What was he doing in a hunter suit? Humans don't treat Omegas like we do. They treat them like scum. Like the worse thing on earth." He hissed with disgust.

"His parents thought of him as a failure. Hide told me that they were selling him off to another family." Haise said. "He ran away."

"Using a hunter suit as cover. That's pretty smart of him." Ken muttered. "Is he happy here?"

Haise smiled. "You want to know if he is planning on running. I don't think so. I think Hide is generally happy with us. Other then what happened with Jason, he seems to be comfortable with Kuro, even Touka and Yoriko."

Ken nodded. "So he is basically like any other Omega." He said to himself. "So then why am I…"

"Drawn to him?" Haise broke his thoughts.

Ken blinked in surprise. "Um."

Haise hummed. He looked down at his hands and played with the sleeve of his sweater. "Yeah… I feel the same way. Since he appeared in Anteiku, he is all I can think about." He mumbled shyly.

Ken nodded. He wasn't going to say it out loud, and he didn't need to. Haise could already tell it was the same for the other Kaneki. Ken walked towards Haise and plopped down next to him.

"Why did you bring Rize back?"

Ken sighed deeply. "Well I can't control her. I wish I could, but nope. She was curious about Hide. She hadn't heard of an Alpha Ghoul marking a Human Omega. After we heard about Jason… Rize just lost it. You know how she is." He shook his head. "It's difficult to deal with her after Yomo and Uta disappeared."

"They really disappeared?" Haise questioned. "But they were so strong… the best Alpha Ghoul fighters I've ever seen."

Ken clicked his tongue. "Ah, well Uta left for a few weeks. It was normal, he would leave for a while and then met up with us after a month or so. I don't know how he was able to find us, he always somehow was able to pin-point where ever we were. Rize thinks Yomo somehow can keep contact with him." He shrugged. "Uta left, we figured it was probably another one of his odd absents but six months passed and he didn't come back. Yomo went to find him, and he too never came back."

"Rize lost her mind after that." He sighed.

Haise blinked once and then twice. "You… you're not worried about that?" he asked.

"I am. A little. But I know Yomo and Uta. They're strong Ghouls. I'm sure they'll be back soon." Ken explained. "Rize on the other hand… just went ballistic. She killed anything and everything. I was the only one who could stop her from killing innocent Ghouls. Probably because I'm stronger than her, and she knows it."

"I think Yoshimura has made her settle." Ken said in relief. "My plan was to just get her here, to Yoshimura. But then Hide, Kuro and Jason reached us and… well yeah…"

Haise winced. He nodded. "So you're staying?" he said. Quick to change the subject with a small grin.

Ken clocked his head. "Yes. I'm crashing here with you by the way." He said casually.

Haise snapped his head around to look at Ken. "What? But the bed is so small!" he gasped.

Ken smirked teasingly. "Don't think I don't remember how cuddly you were as a child. It'll be just like old times. And besides, this was my room first. So in a way, you could say I let you borrow it." He said.

"You're unbelievable..." Haise sighed.

Haise had a small smile as after all, he did miss his elder brother.

~#~#~#~#~#~

The first thing Hide felt as he awoke was that of his head. His head was throbbing. There was an awful twitchy pain that ran down his spine. Most of all there was a horrible stickiness coating his thighs. He could feel it. It was gross and made his nose scrunch up.

Hide turned his head to bury his face into the pillow in hopes to fall back to sleep. He tried to go back to sleep, but he felt horrible. Like he had been dragged through snow naked. His body hurt. His skin was on fire.

He was just so cold.

"Kuro?" Hide tried to call out but he wasn't sure if he even said Kuro.

Hide shuddered. His voice sounded foreign to his ears. Hide wasn't even sure if that really was his ears? However, he all he got in return was silence. He groaned softly, and forced himself to sit up or at least tried too. He used his arms to try and ease himself up but they shook uncontrollable and he almost fell back to the think blankets he was on.

It took Hide a long time, but he was finally able to flop himself over from his stomach. He let out a gentle pant with a tremble running through his body. Hide peered around the room silently. It was a room he hadn't seen before. It was a bit bigger than the room he shared with Kuro, with white walls.

Hide would have been scared if it wasn't the comfortable bed and comforting smell in the air. It took him a little long before he sat up. There were no windows. There was nothing at all. Just white. It made him feel a little uneasy.

There were blankets and pillows. Hide peered at them before grabbing a familiar pillow and pulled it to his face. He breathed in sharply, and found himself letting out a loud, unbelievable, whine at the smell.

It was Kuro's pillow. He could smell Kuro.

Hide noticed a lot of the blankets smelled of Kuro. Hide even noticed he was wearing just a long sweater with nothing else. The sweater, when Hide pulled at the collar to smell it and felt a shudder run through his body.

"Haise." Hide mumbled softly. The sweater smelled of Haise.

Hide blinked. His eyes felt blurry, and he was sweating. His skin looked blotchy. He shook his head, and buried his face into the pillow that smelled of Kuro. He had no idea what was going. He should be afraid, but he felt surprisingly calm…

He once again looked at the blankets and pillows. His hands twitched with urge, with actions and Hide felt a bit dizzy as he eased himself to his knees. His body shook, but he found himself rearranging the blankets and pillows. Hide couldn't stop himself. He just kept moving them quickly and eagerly. Hide's fingers were trembling, and shaking as he moved them anxiously.

Hide could feel his eyes burning with tears. It wasn't right. No matter how he put the blankets and pillows, it wasn't right. He could feel the tears coming.

"Touka?" Hide suddenly paused. He blinked confusingly.

A soft purple blanket with white butterflies on it was in his hand. He sniffed it, and clicked his tongue. It definitely smelled like the Alpha girl who had become his friend. As he moved it, he found a pink blanket underneath white bunnies.

"Y-Yoriko?"

And suddenly, Hide found himself sobbing over the fact the girls were his friends. That they cared about him. It made him feel a little more comfortable and happy. Hide found himself delicately spreading the blankets with care over a few cushions. Just having them made him feel comfort.

Hide shook his head. He inhaled sharply, he knew his face was probably red. His eyes were hurting. He reached for another blanket, this one was long and he knew it. It was the blanket from the bed he shared with Kuro. He could even smell the Alpha.

He whined deeply at the smell. Hide buried his nose into the blanket, and hiccupped.

Where is Kuro? Where was he? He was alone in a room he had never been in before, feeling so cold, and feeling like crap. He clenched the blanket tightly, and whimpered. Why was he alone?

He hissed through clenched teeth. His stomach tightened painfully, and he arched his back.

Finally after… Hide had no idea how long, he was somewhat happy with the blankets. He shakily stood up. His legs almost gave out from underneath him. His hands wrapped to his chest as he stared down at the nice looking… thing of pillows, cushions, blankets and covers.

"Wait…" Hide mumbled quietly.

Hide shook. He inhaled deeply and rubbed his hands over his face. He gulped, and looked back at the pile of the soft, comforting things. All covered perfectly, and placed neatly together.

"T-This… this is a nest… I n-nested…" Hide mumbled in realization.

Hide felt dizzy. The realization that he really was in a heat… his first heat… Hide gulped and sunk to his knees in the middle of his nest. He chewed on his bottom lip, with his shoulders hunched. It made sense that Touka and Yoriko had put a blanket in here with their smell on. According to what he had read about Omega's nesting, they made a nest with things from their mate to their friends to make themselves feel comfortable and give themselves comfort.

He hugged the Kuro's pillow to his chest. Hide let out a gentle hiccup out. He was in heat.

Was… was this a heat room then? Hide didn't know Anteiku had heat rooms…

Hide whimpered. He felt like crying. He was in a heat room which meant Kuro wasn't going to come and… take care of him. Ouch. That hurt. He winced, and shuddered before he curled up in his nest while holding the pillow.

He felt strange. The more he tried to think straight, tried to gather his thoughts, they scattered about him. Hide knew there was something else he was forgetting, but he couldn't remember. His skin twitched with the small flickers of pain, and the awful cold ball flared up in the pit of his stomach suddenly.

Hide wondered for a second if he had been drugged… and the drugs were wearing off now? He felt similar to the time he was sedated as a kid for an Omega check-up. It had scarred him thought, but he felt like he was still waking up.

His neck was burning.

It was uncomfortable. He let out a broken sob and shook his head.

Pain. Agony was building in side him. It was threating to overflow.

"Kuro." Hide whined.

He wished Kuro was here with him.

~#~#~#~#~#~

Kuro was sulking.

There was nothing else to be said about it. He was sulking. He sat like a kicked puppy with a pout on his face. If one looked they would thought he had puppy ears. Kuro sat on the bed with his legs pressed to his chest. He had his head down with a deep frown across his cherry red lips. His head was crooked to the side, and he was just staring blankly at nothing really in particular.

"Kuro. Stop sulking. It's pissing me off." Touka grumbled from her comfortable spot on the floor.

Kuro huffed. "Leave me alone. I can sulk if I want too." He mopped.

"It'll be alright Kuro." Yoriko smiled comfortingly. She sat next to Kuro and had a hand gently patting the Alpha on the head. "You'll see. Everything will be alright."

Kuro sighed deeply at Yoriko's Omega cooing. It wasn't that he was ungrateful, it was just making him feel even worse than before. He reached up and took her hand, pulling it away from the mess of black curls.

"Thanks Yoriko." He mumbled quietly.

Yoriko frowned. She could tell she hadn't made him feel better. Yoriko shook her head with a click of her tongue.

Touka stared at Kuro with half-lidded eyes. She held a large mug of hot black coffee with the words 'Ma Babe is Smoking' written on it in large purple letters. In the left corner was what looked like a purple lipstick kiss print. The mug was bigger than a normal mug, and was more like a bowl. It was amusing as Touka was quite small, even for a woman. The mug was massive in her hands.

"You're pathetic." Touka suddenly said.

Yoriko bristled. Her warm eyes widened, and she snapped her head around to look at Touka.

"Touka!" She squealed out in disproval.

Kuro flinched a little, but other than that he didn't look fazed. In fact it was almost like he agreed with her.

Touka closed her eyes. She shrugged and reeled her to the side. Her beautiful soft blue hair bounced over her face. "Well it's true." She said.

"Not it isn't!" Yoriko said in return.

Kuro whimpered softly. "Yeah, it is. I am pathetic… I'm an awful Alpha. It makes sense." He said.

"No." Touka growled. Her eyes narrowed. "That is not what I mean. You're pathetic for giving up. You're pathetic for not thinking about his feelings at all."

"What do you mean?!" Kuro snapped in return. His hands clenched, and he stared back at Touka. He tried to glare, but it really was more like an angry puppy. "Of course I care about Hide's feelings! Hide is all I can think about!"

Touka snorted loudly. "All you can think about? That's bullshit Kuro. If you really did care for Hide, really do! You wouldn't have bowed over. You would be with Hide, right now." She hissed through clenched teeth. "So Ken bit him, so what? It doesn't mean anything. To Hide, you are the most important."

Kuro blinked. He opened his mouth and then shut it. His cheeks flushed briefly before he shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"But I've messed up so much already…" Kuro said. "I've let Hide down… so many times. The right thing to do is let Ken take care of Hide…"

Touka's lips twisted. "Kuro. I love Ken like my own asshole of a brother, but seriously?" she huffed. "What Ken does, is no place for an Omega – an Omega like Hide. I know everything that has been happening, Haise has been keeping me and Yoriko updated with him."

"Hide isn't a normal Omega. He doesn't know half of what is being an Omega about." She added.

Kuro gulped. "T-That… Hide still learning about being an Omega… b-but Ken… big brother is such a strong and powerful Alpha, he can protect Hide from Ghouls like Jason. I couldn't do that at all." He mumbled. His fingers twitching and playing with the sleeves.

"Kuro!" Touka groaned loudly. She put the palm of her hand to her head. "We don't even know if Hide wants a 'strong and powerful Alpha'. A fool with a pea brain could tell that Hide had become attached to you. You guys had fucking bonded."

Yoriko sighed softly. "Kuro. I think you haven't thought this through. Ken said Hide had gone into a dry heat out in the open. Outside. You know how dangerous that is if an unclaimed Omega goes into h-heat… a normal h-heat is one thing but a dry heat is so much w-worse…" she mumbled softly. Yoriko's face became sad as she looked down, and nibbled her bottom lip.

"An unclaimed Omega doesn't have the RC+A cells coating the blood cells. You know the smell an Omega would give off after being claimed, the smell that tells other Alphas that the Omega is extremely off limits. It normally turns Alphas off, and scares them away. Hide didn't have your RC+A cells coating his blood cells, because you guys haven't had sex." Touka suddenly explained. She spoke casually.

Kuro blushed. He forgot Touka had followed Haise. Haise tutored her, as she wants to become an Alpha/Beta/Omega genetic teacher. It was her dream, and she was working so hard towards it. The job needs Touka to know everything about biology for the three dynamics so she could take care of the new Ghouls.

"T-Touka." Kuro said quietly.

"When an Alpha claims an Omega, I don't know what it is like for humans, but for Ghouls, the Alpha would inject the RC+A cells during the climax. The cells immediately attaches themselves onto the Omega's blood cells, and bonds them together. Because an Omega doesn't have the RC+A cells in them, when they go into any kind of heat, the Omega doesn't let out a 'back off bitches, I'm taken' smell. Instead it's 'come fuck me now', and if Ken didn't bite him, any kind of Alpha Ghoul would have come to force him to submit." Touka added. She ran a hand through her soft hair with a blank face.

"Hide wouldn't have been able to fight back, and the Alpha would be overcome by their instincts." She shook her head. "The bite of an Alpha injects something similar to RC cells, but the cells would suppress the heat for a short period. Like heat suppressors Omegas would take."

Kuro groaned. He buried his face into his knees. "I know! I know!" he whined loudly. "If Ken had not been there, Hide would… would have been… I can't even say it!"

Yoriko shuddered. She rubbed her pink cardigan sleeved arms as she thought of what could have happened to Hide.

"The bite injects RC-B. The beginning of the RC+A cells, basically the -B cells makes it easier for the +A cells to coat the blood cells of the Omega. Sometimes it hurts the Omega, other times it doesn't." Touka sipped her coffee. Her eyes flickered from the delicious taste. "Fuck. That's some good shit."

Kuro peered at her from the top of his knees. "What should I do now?" he asked quietly and shyly.

"Don't hate Ken for this." Touka said without as much as a second thought. Her words made Kuro flinch. "Ken isn't and would never try to hurt you. He wouldn't purposely take anything away from you. He loves you."

"…I know…" Kuro mumbled quietly. "I love him too… it just… hurts Touka…"

Touka nodded her head. "It will. It sucks, but you have to look at the bigger picture. Hide had both yours and Ken's bite. It happened. You can't run away from it. You'll have to just work with it." She said.

"Touka. A-Are… are you suggesting I share Hide?" Kuro squealed nervously. "W-With Ken?"

"You love Hide." She asked firmly. She spoke sternly.

Kuro blushed brightly. "I-I do. I love Hide a lot… I w-want him to be happy, even if it isn't with me…" he said quietly.

Touka shook her head. "Enough. Stop saying that. Hide loves you. He obviously, clearly, wants to be with you but the problem now is that he has another bite mark. The best thing to do is that when Hide's mind is clear, both you and Ken talk with him, together." She said.

"Could… I mean… would H-Hide-chan want to go through a scent disband?" Yoriko suddenly asked in a quiet voice. She looked worried, and nervous as she shifted in the spot next to Kuro.

Kuro bristled. "No. No. No." he shook his head furiously. "Hide can't go through that!"

Yoriko pouted. "But if he chooses he wants just your bite mark, and not Ken's, then he would have to go through a scent disband… right?" she asked. Yoriko looked to Touka for confirmation.

"That would be the only way to remove the bite mark. It is very possible as Hide isn't claimed yet… the problem is that Hide is a human. It's a very painful process." Touka nodded. She amazingly downed the rest of her coffee with a mouth of steel, and placed it onto her bed cabinet. "…some Omegas don't make it…"

"Which is why I won't allow him to go through that!" Kuro yelped.

Touka peered at him. "So you are willing to share him?" she pressed.

Kuro frowned. He looked down at his hands, and there was a long pregnant silence before finally, he nodded.

"…I… I guess." He mumbled before whimpering. "If it is the best thing for Hide… I will be willing to s-share Hide… I mean… if that is what he wants…"

"I wish Shiro was here." Kuro added.

Touka smiled sadly at Kuro. She knew how much Kuro missed his twin. "I know. He'll be back soon. Hopefully in a few days." She said comfortingly. Touka opened her arms for Kuro, who eagerly sunk into her embrace with a sob.

Yoriko hummed. She leaned back as she looked at her two friends. She didn't mind that Kuro looked for comfort from Touka. Yoriko didn't mind that the two was hugging right now, it was a natural thing. When Touka found her in the ruins, tied up and ready to be sacrificed like a goddamn kebab stick, she had slept between the two Alphas for years.

"Yoriko?" Kuro suddenly called out.

Yoriko blushed. She sheepishly looked away before smiling, and crawling into the Alpha's arms. She sighed. It had been such a long time since the three of them had cuddled up together like little children. The heavy blanket Touka had around her shoulders was stretched out around the three of them.

"You'll see Kuro-chan." Yoriko whispered sweetly. "Everything will be alright."

Kuro hummed. He nodded his head. "I hope so." He said.

Yoriko wiggled closer to her mate. She smiled as Touka wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You know… I had a dry heat once…" she suddenly said.

"What?" Kuro gasped.

"Only once." Yoriko nodded her head. She buried her face into Touka's shoulder. "It wasn't my first heat. My dry heat was a year after Touka and I mated. She left with Ayato-chan for a portal mission around the ruins. I missed her so much, she was gone for almost a month… and because I missed her so much, it put me into a dry heat…"

Touka clicked her tongue. "I've always regretted not being here for her." She said. "I've never forgiven myself for it."

"You made it up to me when you got back." Yoriko said with a red face.

Kuro huffed. "No mushy stuff please." He whined, making both woman laugh.

"Did… did you really regret not being there for her?" Kuro asked.

Touka hummed. She nodded her head, and pushed a loose blonde hair behind Yoriko's ear. "Of course I did. She was in so much pain, she was suffering and she just wanted me. I wish I had been there for her. I could have broken the dry heat, so she would never have one again." Touka explained.

"You can break a dry heat?" Kuro asked in surprise.

"Yeah. If you break a dry heat, the Omega cannot go through it again." Touka explained. She nuzzled Yoriko's soft hair, and Yoriko almost purred from the action.

Kuro parted his lips. He looked like he was going to ask more questions but thought against it. He shook his head with a deep grumble. He looked away from the Alpha and Omega, it made him feel fuzzy with sadness and guilt.

Hide was going through a dry heat at this very moment. Kuro could only imagine what Hide is feeling, going through… dry heats were painful. They were caused by the feelings of loneliness, self-loathing and sadness. The mere thought of it made Kuro's stomach clench.

"I've done something wrong… haven't I?" Kuro suddenly said. "The dry heat…"

Touka clicked her tongue. "I've seen you and Hide. I've seen how happy Hide was. I mean fuck Kuro, his face was glowing. There is no way he could have gone into a dry heat because of that." She said. Her nose twitched and Kuro could clearly see Touka's brain turning. She was trying to figure it out.

This was a part of the Omega biology. It pissed her off not knowing or understanding something she had spent years studying.

"Hide-chan told me he didn't have a nice family. That his parents were much like my family." Yoriko suddenly said. "Could that be the reason?"

Touka clocked her head thoughtfully. "Maybe. I've never heard of that before, but it is possible I suppose." She said. "Kuro. Do you know about Kuro's past?"

Kuro pouted. His eyebrows arched together in thought. "His family was going to sell him off because he was an Omega. He hasn't told me everything though." He nervously explained. It annoyed him, and he wanted to know everything.

Every little thing that had happened to Hide in De Hakoiri.

"I wonder if an Omega could go into a dry heat from emotion clash." Touka wondered. "He could be struggling with his past, how he was once treated for being an Omega compared to how he is being treated now. Also, he is attracted to you. You said he had released amorous smells. Hide probably hasn't ever wanted to have sex with somebody before."

Yoriko hummed thoughtfully. "I hope Hide will be alright…" she said quietly.

Touka nuzzled Yoriko on the head comfortingly. She grunted, and frowned deeply. "How bad do Humans treat their Omegas?" she wondered. "It makes sense. Hide's first heat would be a dry heat."

Kuro chewed his bottom lip. "You're saying the heat is because Hide was emotionally hurt, and when he was suddenly treated… differently… his Omega cells reacted and affected his body…?" he asked softly.

"I'll talk with Kimi and Haise, but yeah, I think that might have happened. Some Omegas are fragile and sensitive psychically." Touka grunted.

Kuro mutely nodded. He pressed his lips together, and peered around the room. The room that belongs to Touka and Yoriko. It was nice, and lovely. Kuro had to take his hat off to his dear friends. They really worked hard.

The room had five walls, with no window like his own room. The walls were a pale pinkish colour. There was a single bed that somehow was able to hold both girls, but Kuro could see why. Both girls were small. The room was a bit of a mess, with a few clothes lazily thrown on the ground. But Kuro liked the stack of stuffed teddy bears at the end of the bed. He could also see Yoriko's favorite jeans neatly folded over a chair. Kuro knew it was them, because the jeans had pen drawings of butterflies and rabbits up the legs.

Other than the door leaving the room, there was another door. It was slightly opened, revealing another bedroom. It was Hinami's. Their bedrooms were connected.

Kuro wondered where Hinami was.

"Where's Hinami? Normally she would be in there, writing." Kuro asked softly. He could see Hinami's desk, with the stack of papers on them.

Hinami was writing a book. Kuro had already read her first draft. It was interesting to say the least.

"Oh. She's with Ayato." Touka shrugged. "They've gone to the roof with the other kids their age. I almost went with them, but Ayato called me an old grandma."

Yoriko giggled. "Grandma..." She smiled.

Touka playfully glared at her. "I'm not that much older than him." She huffed with puffed cheeks.

"The roof, huh… remember when we used to go to the roof?" Kuro said softly. It was something the 'young generation' does. For freedom. It was something like a party, but not really. More like a small get together that makes jokes, and just hanging out.

"God. It feels like such a long time ago." Touka smiled. "It took us sometime, but we charted the stars."

Yoriko hummed sweetly. "It's still up there. You guys carved it into the roof. Hinami-chan and I went up last week. Kuro-chan, you should show Hide-chan! He'll love it!" she giggled.

Kuro smiled wistfully. She had a point. Kuro knew Hide hadn't seen really anything outside Anteiku. Maybe he will take Hide around the ruins… maybe.

"How long do dry heats last?" Kuro suddenly asked. He hoped Hide would be alright.

Kuro wanted to see him. Talk to him, see his smile, see his caramel eyes and hold him. Kuro wanted to feel his body against his.

"Only way to end a dry heat quickly is to break it. But if you break it, the Omega would immediately go into a heat. A long, intense heat." Touka explained. She stared at Kuro with her one stern eye. "If not then the dry heat could last a matter of days, to a matter of weeks. That's why it is the worst thing to happen to an Omega."

Yoriko wrapped her arms around Touka's neck and kissed Touka cutely on the lips. "I love how smart you are Touka-chan!" she giggled. "You'll definitely pass your exam and become a teacher!"

"Yoriko." Touka sighed but she had a smile on her lips. "You're always so positive. I love that about you."

The cute blonde haired Omega glowed at the words. She smiled widely, and cuddled up to her mate.

"I should be with Hide…shouldn't I…?" Kuro whispered quietly. His tone hitched as he spoke.

There was silence in the air. Both girls peered at Kuro mutely. The young Alpha had gotten a hold of their penguin bear, and was hugging it to his chest. His head luring on top of the penguin's head. Kuro looked sad with a broken frown on his lips. His fingers trembled against the cute penguin.

"…What am I doing?" Kuro groaned loudly. "I'm just… sitting here, moping and sulking, while… while Hide… my Omega is suffering."

"Hide's in pain, and I'm just making this all about 'me'." Kuro added. His eyes widened frantic, and he trembled. "How selfish am I?"

Kuro narrowed his eyes. He couldn't stand this any longer. Kuro scrambled to his feet, he moved so fast that he was sloppy and almost fell back down. It was amazing that he was able to gain his balance.

"I have to go." Kuro gasped.

Touka snorted. A smirk appeared across her red lips. "Kimi said Hide is in the west wing, and third level."

"His Heat room is room 240."

~#~#~#~#~#~

Hide was shaking. He was wet, and his body tingled. The sensation made his stomach lunch, but what was worse was the feeling of hot, sticky liquid dripping down his legs. It burned around his backside, and he hissed through clenched teeth.

The Omega sighed. Nothing he would do, could make the coldness go away. To make the itchy pain to just stop. He wanted at least a few minutes of just… nothing. He wanted to be numb. It was… was… too much for him.

Hide literary felt like his body was been ripped apart, but at the same time, had been dunked into snow and ice. He couldn't even think straight. Hide was sweating so much that the sweater had stuck to his skin. He couldn't even lift himself now, let alone move.

Since the drug had worn off, Hide had become worse. He was panting, short of breath. He felt dizzy. And most of all, it was burning. Between his legs was throbbing. Hide thought about touching himself, masturbating in hopes of reliving himself but he couldn't so much as move his hand. Instead, he found himself rutting against the blankets.

Nobody had come into check up on him. Hide had been expecting Kimi at least, but nobody appeared. He felt so lonely. The nest he had built, he ended up rearranging it again anyway. It give him a lot of comfort thankfully. That made it a little bit more bearable…just a bit.

"Kuro… why…" Hide hiccupped.

He wimpered. He was sobbing. How could Kuro not be here for him? Not be here with him?

Where was his damn Alpha?

Something inside him was more than sobbing. It was screaming. His Alpha was supposed to be here. His Alpha was supposed to take care of him. Supposed to take the pain away.

Kuro was supposed to make him feel so good.

'Where is he?!'

Hide suddenly let out a dry cry. He jolted as he felt something cold press against the side of his face. It wasn't the type of coldness he was feeling, the coldness of pain, no… it was nice against his skin. It was only when Hide inhaled sharply did his eyes sprung open.

A familiar smell. A smell that made him ache all over.

"H-Hide?"

Hide stared blankly at the familiar looking person. At first he wasn't sure who this man was, but as soon as his scent reached his nose, Hide knew. He knew. And he sprung up with desperation. He didn't know how he got this sudden burst of energy, all he knew was that he just had to get to the man.

"Kuro!" Hide would have said. Only he made a loud whine like slur instead.

He throw himself at his mate. The screaming voices in his head telling him to keen against Kuro. To hold onto Kuro and not let go. To never let go ever again. It was Kuro. His Kuro. His Alpha. Hide wrapped his arms tightly around Kuro's neck, and whined again. He was panting with a crimson, sweaty face.

Kuro shuddered. He inhaled softly, and tried not to let Hide's heat-filled smell to overwhelm him. Hide smelled so good, but Kuro was holding back. Instead, he gently held the shaky Omega. Kuro rubbed Hide's back, his hand moving a circle-like motion. His face blushed as Hide let out a moan at the action.

"Hide." Kuro said. "It's okay."

Hide whined. He clawed at Kuro's sweater. "You're here! You're here! I thought you wouldn't come back! It hurts Kuro! Hurts so much! I'm so cold too!" Hide was rambling. He wasn't sure if he was making scene but he just didn't care.

It was Kuro. His Kuro. His Alpha. His mate. He was here. His Alpha will fix him. He just knows it.

"I'm here Hide. Shh. I'm here." Kuro said comfortingly. He felt guilty for leaving Hide on his own for too long. "But you need to drink this first, Hide."

Hide whined. He shook his head. He didn't want that. He wanted, he wanted…he doesn't know. But he knew Kuro knew. Kuro will make him feel all better. He knows it.

Kuro carefully shuffled back. He prevented Hide from following after with a hand, and then turned to the bottle of water he brought with him. With his left hand, he held Hide's head and his right hand eased the tip of the bottle to Hide's lips.

Hide whimpered. He shook his head, and tried to pull away but Kuro had a strong grip. Kuro was able to prevent Hide from running away from the bottle.

"Hide. Please. You need to drink some water, or you will overheat." Kuro begged. "I don't want you to get sick."

Hide sobbed. His eyes was teary, and it was difficult for him see straight. After a few seconds, he reached for the closest wrist of Kuro's hand, and allowed Kuro to carefully tip the water into his mouth. His nose twitched like a mouse, as the water washed down his throat. He let out a high pitched keen through his nose, and he tried to push the bottle away.

Kuro frowned. He pulled the bottle up to his eyes to see how much his Omega had drank at least some. It was just over half empty. He ran a hand through his hair, and looked at Hide once again. The poor Omega was breathing heavily, with his head cocked downward and hands gripping Kuro's shoulders so tightly that his knuckles flushed white. He was worried that Hide would accidently hurt his palm and so, Kuro gently took the trembling hands.

"You'll hurt yourself doing that." He said worriedly.

Hide hissed. Another flare of cold acid pain ran through his body. He wiggled closer to Kuro. Practically putting himself into Kuro's lap, and clenching Kuro's warm hands.

"I'm so cold." Hide sobbed. He shook his head, and shivered.

Kuro nodded. He wiggled free a single hand, and wrapped it around Hide. He pulled the shivering Omega closer. He tried not look at the bandage over Hide's throat. Kuro knew what was underneath it, and knew it was causing Hide even more pain.

"Your nest. It's really good." Kuro offered.

Hide hiccupped. He buried his face into Kuro's chest. "Nestssssss. Not good."

"It is good." Kuro said softly. He ran his hand through Hide's hair, and smiled when Hide leaned into it.

They sat like that for almost a full half-an hour.

"Kuro…" Hide mumbled. He peered up at Kuro. "This… this dry heat hurts…"

Kuro blinked. He gently wrapped his arms around Hide. "I know. There are ways to break them." He whispered.

"Break?" Hide repeated. His brow arched. "You can break… this dry heat?"

Kuro swallowed a thick lump in throat. "Y-Yeah." He admitted.

Hide licked his lips. He winced. When had they become so dry, and sensitive? He whined. "How?" he asked quietly.

"...s-sex…" Kuro admitted bashfully. "You know what a heat is… right?"

Hide blinked. He stared, or at least tried too. He felt stupid. Of course that was it. How could he be so dumb? He shuddered as another wave of freezing, cold pain washed over him and he cuddled up to Kuro. Kuro's body made his body feel a little better. The warmth of Kuro's body was just soooooo good.

"Okay." Hide said.

Kuro blinked himself. "O-Okay? As in… yes… go a-ahead?" he asked.

Hide nodded anxiously. Nodded furiously. He felt frustration build up inside him and he arched his back. Hide immediately but slippery kissed Kuro. He, a little harshly, slammed his wet mouth to Kuro's. He was desperate. He wanted it, needed it, he wanted Kuro.

Hide wanted to feel Kuro too.

Kuro kissed Hide back. He groaned softly. The sour smell, and the way Hide repeatedly shivered, made Kuro want to do everything possible in his power to make Hide feel good. To make Hide feel better. To be at peace with himself.

"Kuro." Hide grunted. "Hurts."

Kuro breathed deeply. He gently held Hide, and nods his head. Kuro then eased Hide back to the blankets, and settled next to him. Kuro then pressed soft kisses along Hide's neck, and neck.

Hide let out a moan. His heart was pounding loudly, echoing through his head. His hot blood was rushing through his cold body. Kuro's scent was strong, and he ravished in it. Hide's body tensed up briefly as he felt Kuro's right hand lay on his chest.

"Hide. It's okay." Kuro cooed sweetly. He turned Hide's head, and the two kissed again. "I've got you."

The warmth of Kuro's hand made Hide whimper. He pressed his legs together as another, more intense throb ran through him. Everything felt nice. The nest, and Kuro. It was so nice. It made him feel rather heavenly. He tingled all over.

Hide felt Kuro's other arm wrap around his shoulder. To keep him still. Hide felt a pinch of worry, and fear before Kuro soothed it away. And then…

The hand was moving.

Kuro's hand gently slide down Hide's front. It was then that the Omega realized he was completely naked underneath the sweater. Nothing else. His body burned with coldness but yet an edge of warmth at the realization. He wasn't sure if the thought scared him or excited him. He shook on the blankets. His legs twitched and inched apart just a little.

"Hide. You're so beautiful." Kuro whispered. Kissing his Omega gently.

Kuro words made Hide feel dizzy.

Hide turned his head. His lungs screaming for air. His eyes flickered, they were glassy and watery.

"What… w-what are we doing first?" Hide mumbled nervously.

Kuro licked his lips. He smiled encouragingly and comforting. He kissed Hide on the cheek, and ran his lips down the warm skin.

"I'm… going to touch you." Kuro whispered. "Unless you don't want me too."

Kuro went to move his hand, and Hide felt a flash of panic run through him. He reached out with a shaky hand, grabbing onto Kuro's wrist. He shook his head, and turned his head to look at Kuro.

"I w-want… want…" Hide said. "I want to b-be touched by you."

Kuro looked a little surprised. As if he was expecting Hide to say no, to push him away and not pull him closer. Hide had even reached up with his free hand and pulled on the collar of Kuro's grey sweater. It sent a shiver of excitement up his spine.

Hide wanted him!

Kuro gulped. He smiled, and nodded his head a little. "Um. Listen, Hide. We need a safe word. A word you say if I'm hurting you or If you want to stop." He explained softly. He brushed his fingers along the side of Hide's red face.

Hide blinked once and then twice. His quivering lips twisted together. "Big girl." He suddenly stated.

"Big girl?" Kuro repeated with an eyebrow raised.

Hide would have blushed if he wasn't already red, and sweaty. Hide shrugged with shaky hands again. "Tokyo used to have burger meal called Big girl, years ago. I've always wanted to have one… is it too weird?" he asked sweetly, and innocently.

"No." Kuro chuckled. He shook his head. Only Hide would want a years old Tokyo meal as a safe word.

Only his Hide.

Hide smiled in return. He closed his briefly, and then nodded to let Kuro continue. He inhaled softly as the hand moved. It ran slowly, and delicately down his body until it reached the end of the sweater. It paused, and played with the sweater gently.

"Are you alright?" Kuro whispered softly.

Hide panted softly. Another cold, and hot wave flushed through his body. His fingers twitched and he meekly looked down at the hand holding the sweater edge gently. He licked his lips nervously, and finally smiled with a nod of the head.

Kuro bit his bottom lip. He felt a little anxious as he had never done this with anybody, he hadn't seen anybody else naked other than his brothers, and they don't count.

"I-It's okay." Hide smiled. "I'm c-calm, and I trust you."

Kuro blinked at him. He blushed even brighter himself, and kissed Hide firmly. He licked at Hide's bottom lip, to be allowed in and Hide parted his lips. Their tongues began to rub together, dance and even play cat and mouse. The kissing made Hide keen, and wrap his arms around Kuro's neck to pull him closer.

Hide jumped as he felt the gentle, and delicate fingers run along his skin. His eyes widened, and he let out a shaky gasp. He could feel the hand on his thigh, gently stroking his skin. It sent chills through his body.

"Kuro… kiss me again please." He said almost scared that Kuro wouldn't.

Kuro smiled at him. His own cheeks becoming redder with every passing seconds... He pressed his lips firmly against Hide's firmly, but yet gently.

Hide let out a soft groan as he did his best to kiss Kuro back. He bravely ran his fingers through Kuro's oddly neatly mess of dark hair. Hide sighed. He really liked it. He really liked to be kissed.

He was enjoying it. Maybe too much.

Hide gasped. He pushed Kuro away with wide eyes. He gaped at him.

"Did… did you just grind on me?" he asked shakily.

Kuro blushed even brighter. "Oh. Um. Sorry… I got carried away…" he admitted. "I can, um, stop."

Kuro awkwardly said. He looked off to the side. "I'll stop now."

"No." Hide suddenly blurred out. His hands blindly reached out, and grabbed Kuro. "I-I mean… it was nice… I mean, it felt good. Um..."

Kuro kissed him.

Hide whimpered into Kuro mouth. His arms tightened around Kuro's neck, and felt his body tremble against Kuro's. Unlike last time, Hide didn't freak out when Kuro began to grind on him. The brunette moved his hips back and forth against Hide's.

"K-Kuro." Hide gasped.

Kuro shifted himself. He ran his lips along the pale flesh along Hide's neck. He gently left little kisses along the skin. With is right hand, he pressed his hand against the area between Hide's shoulder blades while his other hand moved towards slowly up Hide's thigh. Fingers dragging delicately up the skin.

Hide let out a shaky breathe. His eyes widened as he felt Kuro press his hand firmly against him. His heart leaped into his throat. He gulped. He couldn't look away from Kuro. He was staring into his mate's eyes.

"I-I love you." Hide said.

Kuro blinked. It was the first time Hide had said it. It made his heart skip a beat.

"I love you too, Hide!" he gasped out.

Hide smiled brightly, but yet shyly. He wanted to curled up as another wave ran through him, but fought against it. He didn't want to shy away, to force his throbbing and shaky body away from Kuro. He wanted to feel Kuro. So badly.

He loved him. So much…

"Hide. Are you okay?" Kuro asked worriedly.

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine." Hide whispered. "It hurts still…"

Kuro bites his bottom lip. He nodded his head. "We have to break the dry heat." He explained gently.

Hide gulped. His hands trembled. "F-First?" he wondered. He heard the unspoken word at the end of the sentence.

Kuro smiled comfortingly. He gently kisses Hide. "Yes. You need to, well, jack off." He said against Hide's lips.

Hide whined. "Jack off." He snorted. His body shaking, and he became aware of the wetness sipping along his back down once more. Since Kuro had appeared, it had become much more…wet.

"You'll help me?" Hide mumbled.

Kuro blushed. He chuckled softly. His fingers traced along the skin of Hide's thigh. Not quite sliding up yet.

"Of course." He stated softly.

Hide gulped. He nodded his head, and breathed out softly. "Okay…." He mumbled with a twitchy smile.

He looked down at himself again. Hide lightly held onto the end of his sweater. He gripped it tightly, while panting deeply. He was still short of breath. He glanced back at Kuro, but then back down to the area.

"J-Jack off…" Hide repeated.

Kuro licked his lips. "Hide. You have… you know… before… right?" he mumbled softly.

"…once or twice…" Hide admitted with a deep squeal from the back of his throat. "B-But Kuro… this… it feels like my bones are shattering inside me, and my-my… it's so hard that it just hurts! I don't think I should touch it! At all!"

Kuro 'shh-ed' him before he could go into a dry heat-fazed panic. He gently pressed down on the soft skin, and without breaking eye contact with the Omega, he ran his fingers upward until Hide let out a sharp breathe.

"Kuro." Hide whimpered.

Kuro kisses him gently. "Shh. That's just the dry heat." He whispered sweetly.

Kuro gently moved his fingers as if Hide was made out of china. He was worried of accidently hurting the Omega, and moved almost painfully slow. Kuro rubbed his fingers over the hot, hard skin. He smiled shyly as he watched the way Hide's eyes flickered.

Hide clenched his eyes shut tightly. He whimpered. He dug his fingers into Kuro's sweater. Cold fingertips slide along Hide's skin. It made Hide let out a deep, sharp gasp of breath from the way Kuro was touching him. He hadn't felt something like this before. Never had been touched like this before.

Hide let out a loud moan.

Kuro pulled away. Saliva was bridged between their mouths. He blinked his sliver eyes as he stared at Hide in surprise… He paid extra close attention to the away Hide immediately trembled and gasped from the touches.

"Hide… did you just…" Kuro trailed off. When Hide flushed brighter, and Kuro couldn't help but grinned. "That's so damn cute Hide."

Hide grunted. "…N-No it's not…" he mumbled shyly.

Kuro shook his head. "It is." He hummed. He was doing so well at keeping Hide distracted.

"Can you make that sound again Hide?" Kuro pleased. He reminded Hide of an eager puppy.

Hide chews his bottom lip. He tried to stop himself, but the same moan escaped his lips when Kuro begun to move his hand again. This time, his fingers pressed down a bit harder than before. Kuro obviously liked the sound, and he smiled widely.

The Omega panted. The cold, burning pain had was somehow fizzling away. Hide's noes curled tightly, and he arched his back. His eyes glanced down at Kuro's body, and felt his face flush brighter upon seeing a hard dent between Kuro's legs. Hide wasn't sure if he was pleased that he had made Kuro like that.

Hide tried to look away, but found himself continuingly looking back. Without a word, Hide lifted a shaky hand, and gently touched the tent. Hide's eyes flickered as Kuro let out his own gasp of surprise. Hide stared in fascination as Kuro buckled into his hand. It prompted Hide to palm the bulge, a little more rougher than Kuro's own touching of his body. Hide would have kept on touching Kuro when suddenly he felt his body buzz with a new sensation that he had never felt before.

Hide arched his back. His eyes rolled back into skull, and he opened his mouth. He would have let out a scream but instead, he let out a breathless cry without any sound. White spots took over his eyes, and he fell against the blankets of his nest, numb.

"Hide?" Kuro whispered against his neck. "Are you okay?"

Hide opened his mouth. Like he was about to speak, but nothing came out. He was panting. Trying to catch his breath. Had… had he just… had Kuro just made him? The thought made Hide feel dizzy. However, he didn't have long to think about it, as his body flared with such intense heat, and want that he let out a low sob of panic.

"Did I hurt you?" Kuro gasped shocked.

Hide whimpered. He tried to speak, but a deep moan escaped his lips. He rolled his head towards Kuro. His face felt hot, and his eyes were teary. Hide opened his mouth to try and talk once again, but nothing came out other than another sob-like moan.

"It's okay Hide. Breath in and out." Kuro said. "…I think we've broken your dry heat."

Hide panted. He breathed in and out deeply. He shook against the cushions and blankets. He did this until his body relaxed, and the pounding of his heart relaxed. Even though he, himself, had calmed down, his body was still puzzling with heat, need and want.

"M'good." Hide was able to mumble. "But, body… hot."

Kuro stared for a few seconds before he smiled. He gently kisses Hide. "That's good." He said softly.

"O-Oh." Hide breathed out.

Kuro slowly sat up. The movement made Hide whine, and reach for him.

"Ah." Kuro chuckled. He held up a hand, and Hide's eyes widened upon seeing it. "I have tissues."

Hide shook his head. He laid back, and waited for Kuro to return. His body was still trembling from the heat. His legs pressed together, and Hide wasn't sure if this was better than the dry heat sensation or not. Either way, Hide did his best to keep himself calm as he waited for Kuro. He whimpered, and chewed his bottom lip with shaky shoulders.

He jumped when Kuro returned. Hide smiled in relief upon seeing him. He felt so much relief to see him.

"Are you okay?" Kuro asked.

Hide shivered. "Hm." He nodded his head. "M'fine. But hot… and wet."

Kuro cupped the Omega's face. He smiled, and kisses Hide gently. "That's normal." He mumbled.

Hide nodded. He kissed Kuro back. "Y-You're… naked…" Hide mumbled.

Kuro blushed. He sheepishly smiled. "O-Oh. I thought it would be easier. I'm not completely naked thought." He mumbled. He was wearing white boxers though.

Hide gulped. He tried not to run his eyes along Kuro's body. He had white skin, milky white skin and Hide just wanted to touch it. But he held back. His lips trembled, and he hiccupped softly from under his breath. His fingers twitched as they bravely touched the skin; ran over the soft skin, and watched as Kuro whimpered. He clung to Kuro. His fingers shook as he pulled Kuro closer. He whimpered, and moaned into the kiss. He wrapped his arms around Kuro's neck, as Kuro slowly crawled on top of Hide, hovering above him and Hide found his eyes lowering back to the tent Kuro still had.

"Does that hurt?" Hide mumbled. His voice shaking in a slur.

"Huh?" Kuro mumbled cluelessly, which made Hide point nervously down at the tent. "O-Oh. Oh. Um. N-No… I mean, yeah… a little. But this is about you, and your pleasure."

Hide blinked. He opened and then shut his mouth from something between embarrassment and awe. His heart skipped a beat, and bites his bottom lip. Fuck. He loves Kuro. He peered down back down at the tent, and he let out a gentle sound from the back of his throat.

His hand shook. He reached up, and touched the tent. It made Kuro yelp, his back arched and a powerful shudder ran through his body.

"H-Hide!" Kuro yelped.

Hide watched him. He gently moved his hand, and he wished his hand would stop shaking so much.

"Is… is it good?" Hide asked softly.

Kuro blinked his sliver eyes. He snapped out of the fogginess that had casted across him. He stared down at the other.

"Y-Yes." Kuro said.

Hide gulped. His lips twitched into a nervous smile. His hand shook as Kuro suddenly buckled forward. A deep moan erupted from Kuro's throat. Hide couldn't turn his eyes away, he just kept watching Kuro's face. He was observing Kuro's expression.

Kuro was so cute. Adorable. His face was flushed, and eyes glassy. He was beautiful and cute.

Kuro sobbed with his eyes burning with tears, as something deep within his groins boiled with fire. It felt like lightening burst through his body, and white spots clouded his eyes. He gaped, and felt his throat tighten like there was rope being pulled.

Hide gasped. His body sweaty, as he shifted a little. "K-Kuro? Are you alright?" he called out.

His Alpha had crumpled on top of him, with his head resting against his shoulder. It took Hide a little while to realize there was something sticky and warm in his hand. It was the same fluids he felt in his own pants.

Hide felt shamefully embarrassed that he had his climax… and that he had made Kuro reach his own climax. Hide wondered if that was Kuro's first climax? It definitely was Hide's first orgasm… sort off. He carefully pulled his hand out of Kuro's pants, and held it above to look at the white liquid sticking to his fingers.

"Thank you…" Kuro's voice suddenly said.

Hide blinked. He rolled his head, to look at Kuro. Their faces were close. He could see the beautiful brown eyes.

"Did… did you just say thank you?" Hide asked. He couldn't help but smile.

Kuro blushed brightly. He carefully pushed himself up, and nervously reached for the tissues.

Hide turned even redder. He shrugged innocently. "Um. N-Now what?" Hide mumbled nervously.

He let out a soft hiccup as his body trembled. Another wave of power heat of need washed over him. He hiccupped from the back of his throat.

Kuro looked at Hide. He smiled, and kissed him.

"Don't worry. I'll look after you…"

~#~#~#~#~#~

He felt sore.

Hide woke with a throbbing, sore body. He groaned softly, and buried himself into the warmth next to him. He was eager to sleep the achiness off, but when he noticed his warm pillow was moving, Hide's eyes sprung open. He blinked quietly, and slowly lifted himself. He propped himself up by his trembling arms. He felt so tried, and sore.

Hide felt his body buzz. It was a pleasure-filled buzz. It ran through his body, and at first Hide felt confused. However, his memory eventually kicked into motion, and his began to recall what had happened. Every passing second, his face turned redder and redder, until his face was literally the same color of a ripe tomato.

"Kuro." Hide whispered.

Kuro was sleeping so peacefully. So calmly. It was beautiful. Hide couldn't look away. Kuro's hair was a mess, and Hide watched a round reddish mark slowly generated in front of his eyes. It did not take a genius to work out what the mark was.

Hide shook his head. He looked down at himself. He blushed. Kuro had been so gentle, and sweet to him. He ran a hand through his hair, and presses his lips together. At least Kuro had been careful with his stomach, the scar and bandage… Hide felt a shudder run through him. Like he was about to cry.

Shit. Kuro had touched him. Touched him all over.

…Kuro had to know… know that he couldn't have children now… right?

"Hmmm." Kuro suddenly groaned.

Hide jumped. He swung his head around to look at Kuro. He cursed to himself. Kuro looked damn hot like that. Hair a mess, with milky white skin, and a beautiful flush on his cheeks.

"Hide!" Kuro smiled. His smile was so beautiful, and warm. It made Hide blush. "You're awake! How are you feeling?"

Kuro scrambled to his knees. He wiggled towards Hide, and Hide noticed that both of them was bare as the day they were born. But naked. It was embarrassing. Hide tried not to look, but it still made him shy. Even after what had happened… after them making love and all…

"Oh. I'm feeling fine." Hide said. He really did. He felt great even. His body just felt good overall. "I feel… good…"

Kuro blinked. His sliver eyes glowed beautiful, and he smiled. He took his Omega's face between his hands, and kissed it over and over again.

"I'm glad. Your heat is over." Kuro said softly.

Hide blushed. His lips twitched into a small smile. "Really? One day?" he asked.

Kuro shook his head. "Yeah. It feels like a blur, one day… but it wasn't Hide." He chuckled anxiously.

The Omega pouted. "What do you mean? H-How long was it?" he mumbled. He was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Almost two weeks." Kuro explained. He winced when Hide let out a high-pitch cry of shock. "Hey! That's normal Hide!"

Hide's jaw dropped. He just stared blankly. "Two weeks… of-of… sex…" he muttered to himself. His voice pitching as he spoke. "Can I even walk?"

Kuro made a soft chuckle. "Don't worry. I'll take care of you. I'll help you." He said, comfortingly.

The Omega looked down at his legs. He felt relieved that he could feel them, even if they trembled as he moved them. His toes flickered, and he puffed his cheeks out. Hide cocked his head back. So that was a heat….

"Kuro." Hide said. He snapped his head down to look at his Alpha. "I'd like a bath or shower or something…"

Kuro smiled. He nodded his head. "Of course." He said, as he slid closer to his Omega.

He wrapped his arms around Hide. The sound of skin snapping echoed through the air, and a familiar red fox-tail like kagune appeared. It looped underneath Hide's knees and lifted him from the ground. He beamed at Hide, with glowing sliver eyes.

"Kuro… did you use… um…" Hide mumbled.

Kuro cocked his head to the side. "Did I?" he pressed but it was obvious he knew exactly what Hide was asking.

He was making Hide voice it and that was horrifying.

Hide glared at him. He pouted. "How mean of you." He grumbled.

Kuro just smiled innocently.

"Did…" Hide leaned closer to Kuro's ear. "Did you use your k-kagune on me?"

Kuro chuckled. "Now was that so hard to say?" he teased before he shrugged. "Maybe."

"You're… cruel." Hide pouted. "After we're cleaned, can we go back to our room?"

Kuro clicked his tongue. He bumped his forehead against Hide's. "Yes Hide." He said. Kuro was so relieved that Hide was alright after his heat. He was worried that Hide wouldn't be completely good after his heat.

Hide smiled. He nodded, and rested his head against Kuro's shoulder.

It was a bath. It was nice, and honestly, Hide almost feel asleep in the bath. Thankfully Kuro had caught him before he sunk into the warm water. Afterward, they walked, or more like Kuro carried Hide, to their room. Kuro even had to help Hide dress because Hide could move very well at the moment. He felt like his muscles had become mash. He was happy to be in clean, and warm clothes rather than being naked, or having just a towel to cover himself.

"What about the nest?" Hide asked. He sat on the familiar bed, and breathed in deeply. He liked the bed, and dare should he say, he missed it.

Kuro patted his hands against his black pants. "Don't worry. I'll go clean it up." He smiled.

Hide clicked his tongue. He frowned. He didn't like that. It was his nest, so he should be the one who cleaned it. He would have even tried to get off the bed if Kuro hadn't pushed him back gently.

"I got it. Seriously Hide, You need to rest." Kuro hummed.

Hide pouted. He eventually gave in, and laid back against the nice pillows. He reached up to rub his neck, only to shudder and yelp from the horrible throb he got. It wasn't painful, but it ached a little as he touched it. Hide blinked once and then twice, before his eyes flickered with remembrance.

"Ken bit me!" Hide gasped out. "What? How?"

Kuro gently wrapped his arms around Hide's shoulders. "It's alright. I'll explain everything to you." He said.

The Omega pouted. His eyes narrowed up at Kuro and puffed his cheeks out. "You promise?" he asked.

It was so cute.

"Yes Hide, I promise." Kuro chuckled.

Hide sighed deeply. He shook his head, and flopped back onto the pillows. He crossed his hands over his chest, and yet out a soft yawn. He was tried. Hide couldn't believe he had just spent almost two weeks having non-stop sex… well, they had to stop, to eat and such… right? Otherwise, he would be a walking skeleton. Hide fought the urge to pat his hands down his body to check, he could already feel he wasn't much smaller, and he had been naked. He saw that he still had fat.

The experience was a blur to his memory. He remembered bits and pieces, and the intense pleasure he felt for most of it. Damn. He remembered how good it felt, and how he felt like he would most likely float away to heaven at any moment during the time. His body shivered at the memory of it. He wasn't embarrassed to admit that maybe… just maybe he would like to experience it again. If he ever did, he hoped he wouldn't forget it this time…

Hide smiled. He clocked his head to the side as Kuro flopped down next to him. Kuro practically purred as he laid against Hide's side. His head coming to rest on the edge of Hide's chest.

"I don't remember the pain." Hide suddenly sound. "When you bit me, I remembered how much it hurt…"

Kuro hummed softly. "That is because of the dry heat." He explained. "You probably couldn't tell the difference. You were in so much pain from the dry heat, and the new bite mark…"

"Right. Dry heat." Hide muttered to himself. "So, now that we've had sex, does that mean you've claimed me fully?"

Kuro opened a single eye. He peered up at Hide, which made his Omega flush brightly. "I suppose so." Kuro said with a grin that would make the Cheshire cat proud.

Hide's blush reached the tip of his ears. He smiled meekly, and nodded. He felt a warm sensation pool in the middle of his stomach. He felt a bit giddy at the words.

"Oh. Are you hungry? I should go get you food." Kuro suddenly said. He moved to leave the bed when Hide grabbed onto his arm, and shook his head.

"No. No." Hide blurred out. He then looked away in embarrassment. "I mean, I'm not hungry. Just lay with me please."

Kuro blinked. He then nodded, and laid back with Hide. He cuddled up to Hide, and wrapped his arms around Hide. He smiled himself. Hide fitted perfectly into his arms. It felt wonderful. He buried his face into Hide's hair, and fully out purred from the Omega's scent.

"I'm tired." Hide grumbled.

Kuro smiled. He laughed, and hugged Hide tighter. "Then sleep."

"But I don't want too." Hide sighed.

He turned onto his side, and slipped his arms around Kuro's middle. He buried his face into Kuro's chest. Kuro hummed thoughtfully. He gently rubbed Hide's back as he laid his face against Hide's soft hair. The motion made Hide moan, and cuddle more.

Eventually they both dozed off only to wake a few minutes later. The sound of frantic, and worried feet rushing on the floor. The door opened, and smacked against the wall, sending a loud 'thud' echo through the air. It awoke both the Alpha and Omega from their brief slumber.

"Haise?" Kuro said in confusion.

Kuro sat up. He groaned and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He then peered up at his brother in confusion. His lips opened and shut as if he was going to ask a question but the look in Haise's eyes made him freeze. An awful sinking feeling filled his stomach.

"W-What?" Kuro said. "What's wrong?"

Hide blinked innocently. He eased himself up as well to look at Haise. He had the urge to take Haise into his arms and do everything he could to calm the elder Kaneki.

Haise stressfully ran a hand through his hair. He bites his bottom lip, and his silver eyes flickered to Hide and then back to Kuro.

"Kuro." He began. "Come with me."

Kuro's eyebrows pulled together worriedly. "Why? What's going on?" he asked. He climbed off the bed, and made his way to Haise.

Haise looked frantic. He was worried…

"It's about Eto's group. Ayato found Tsukiyama. He was not in good shape." Haise hurriedly said.

Tsukiyama? Who was that? Hide frowned in confusion. He was not in good shape…does that mean he was hurt?

Kuro looked white. His hands shook. "W-What? Where's Shiro?" he said. His voice trembled as he spoke.

"What about Shiro? Where is he? Haise?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHIROOOOOOOOO! 
> 
> What has happened? ehehehe


	8. The Opposite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here is the newest chapter! Sorry about the wait :)
> 
>  
> 
> A big thank you for Cloudfarer for editing this!

"Shiro?"

Kuro stared blankly, his face becoming white. Kuro's jaw was tensed and his shoulders hunched. He even twitched a little.

Hide shifted forward and gently took Kuro's shaky hand.

"Kuro?" he called up at his mate.

"Ah." Kuro gasped. He snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head.

"Oh."

Kuro tilted his head down to look at Hide. His eyes looked glassy, worriedly and his lips twitched.

"Kuro?" Hide repeated softly. "Are you alright? What's wrong with Shiro, and who is Tsukiyama?"

Hide's warm caramel eyes flicked between Kuro and Haise. His lips twitched in concern. Haise looked just as worried, and as freaked out as Kuro.

Haise sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. He bites his bottom lip, and walks towards them. He places a hand onto Kuro's shoulder, and looks down at Hide, a strange smile across his face. It was odd. Different to smiles Haise normally wore.

It made Hide's stomach clench with unease.

"D-Don't worry Hide." Haise said. He tried to keep his voice stern, but it still shock. "E-Everything will be fine."

Kuro looked back at Hide. His eyes shook, and Hide was a little worried he would start crying. He opened and shut his mouth. Unsure of what to say or what to do.

"I. What. Shiro" Kuro squealed. His voice hitching as he tried to speak. "Shiro. Shiro. Shiro."

"Shiro."

Kuro trembled. He shook. His silver eyes widened so much that they looked like they were about to pop out. He gasped loudly, and his shoulders hunched further. Without another thought, he rushed out the door. He repeated his twin's name to himself as he ran.

"N-Not again" Kuro whimpered. "He promised. H-He promised!"

"Kuro. Wait." Haise yelped.

Hide blinked. He trembled a little, and whimpered softly. He looked up at Haise, and reached his hands out to Haise. He grabbed onto Haise's sweater-covered arm tightly, and tugged, preventing Haise from running out.

"Haise!" Hide cried.

Hide wanted to follow his mate. He could feel the panic, worry and pain in the air from his Alpha. He wanted to go after Kuro, and calm him down. He was just so confused. Not again? What did Kuro mean by that? He couldn't even feel his legs enough to get up. And it was frustrating.

"It's alright Hide." Haise said hurriedly. "Everything is alright."

Haise turned around to Hide. He crouched down, and took Hide by his shoulders. Haise held him gently. That same strange smile was on his lips. It was just unnerving. It made Hide feel rather scared.

"No it's not." Hide huffed.

Haise let out a low nervous laugh. He gently rubbed Hide's shoulders, and eased him back onto the bed. "Yes it is. Don't worry. You've just came out of your heat, right? You just rest. Sleep." He said anxiously.

"No." Hide grumbled. He was becoming increasingly frustrated. "I won't go to sleep."

Haise bites his bottom lip. "You're exhausted Hide. Everything is alright. Sleep, and I'll come back later with food for you." He said.

"Stop." Hide suddenly snapped. "I'm not stupid. You all keep trying to shield me, but how can I just sit here, sleep and be fine-dandy when I've just seen Kuro freak out. Kuro ran out the room, practically crying. It's not fine. Tell me what's going on."

"I'm not a child."

Haise blinked once, twice, multiple times. He stared down at Hide. Haise's mouth gapped slowly, like he wasn't sure what to say. Haise definitely wasn't expecting Hide to explode.

"S-Sorry" Hide mumbled. His face burning brightly from shame and embarrassment.

Hide looked off to the side. He scratched at his cheek a little. Maybe he had stepped out of line but he couldn't help it. Why couldn't he just be told the truth? He loved Kuro so much, and Kuro's in pain. All of a sudden and right after his heat too

"No." Haise shook his head. "You're right. We we're trying to keep you out of danger, shield you not that it had ever worked."

Hide flushed a little at the words. How embarrassing. But it wasn't a lie. It was like he was a magnet for trouble. Hide was always getting into trouble, even before coming to Anteiku. He sheepishly looked away with his finger tapping together on his lap.

Haise frowned. He quickly hummed, before he finally sat down on the edge of the bed. He shovelled his feet, and Hide could tell he wanted to follow Kuro. Hide felt rather bad about keeping him here, but he had to know.

Shiro the only brother Hide had yet to connect with sort off. That reminded him. Ken had bitten him. Hide wasn't sure what will happen now. He felt numb still

"It's a bit complicated." Haise murmured.

Hide sniffed. He bites his bottom lip, and against the screaming of his body, he crawled towards the end of the bed where Haise was standing. He grabbed onto Haise's wrist and pulled gently.

"S-start from the beginning." Hide said softly. He pulled on Haise's wrist again, and finally Haise sat down next to him. "I know Shiro left. He was apart of the One Eyed Owl team."

Hide licked his dry lips. "I know E-Eto is the head one of the Owl team. The team left for a recon mission I don't know what the recon mission is but-but Touka-chan told me recon missions are natural here a common thing."

Haise breathed in softly. He looked at Hide, and meekly smiled. "Recon missions are common. Everyone has done a recon mission at least once." He said softly.

"Even Kuro?" Hide wondered quietly.

"Even Kuro." Haise said. "Shiro he liked leaving Anteiku. Ken used to take him out all the time before he left they're much more similar then they'd like to admit. Kuro and I, we preferred to stay in Anteiku, but Ken took Shiro on recon missions all the time."

Hide nodded. He was generally interested in hearing about Shiro. The last Kaneki brother, Shiro had disappeared sometime ago while Hide was getting to know Kuro and Haise. Thinking of the brothers, Hide's mind went towards the eldest brother and felt his neck twitch. The new fresh bite mark he has now.

Hide wondered what it looked like it couldn't be as healed as Kuro's right?

"You tell either Ken or Shiro no, and they'll do the opposite." Haise snorted, but he had a tiny smile on his lips. "I'm telling you Hide, both of them was such a hand full back then."

Hide felt his lips twitch. He smiled, and moved closer to Haise. He rested against Haise's side, with his head on his shoulder.

"Eto's team normally stays out longer than Yoshimura-san would like." Haise sighed. His voice trembled, and his bottom lip quivered. "I mean they would stay out much longer then necessary. Eto, she might be a little twisted in the head, but she's reasonable. She never keeps them -- Shiro -- out for more than two months."

Hide blinked in surprise. He looked up into Haise face, and bites his bottom lip while looking into Haise's face. Haise had this faraway look in his eye. Eto, Eto and Eto. Hide kept hearing about this female Ghoul. He was beginning to ask himself how strong is this woman?

He remembered the green haired woman in a rag dress from how long ago? Hide wasn't sure. She wanted to cut his head off and send it to a human village as a warning. But from the sounds of it, many people, Haise, Kuro, Touka all respected her. He wasn't sure if Ken had, as they probably hadn't talked yet.

He had to talk to Ken soon though even if he really didn't want too. Even if he was too scared of the eldest Kaneki.

Hide felt a chill run down his spin as he thought of Ken.

"Um. H-How long have they been gone?" Hide forced out. He looked up at Haise silently.

Haise shook his head. He leaned forward, and put his face into his hands. "Three months." He breathed out.

Hide's eyes widened. "Three months?" Hide repeated.

That was bad. Hide may not yet understand how Anteiku worked, he was still learning, but even he knew that was worrisome. He felt a horrible sinking feeling twist in the pit of his stomach.

"Yoshimura-san always wanted updates from every team. That includes Eto, even if Eto didn't like it. We always got an update every two weeks. We haven't seen or heard from Noro in a month, which is unheard of." Haise winced. He was struggling to breath all of a sudden. "Noro, Noro, never, never!"

Hide slide off the bed. He crawled until he was in front of Haise. "You're shaking." He said, as he watched Haise hands quiver.

"It's okay." Hide said softly, and reached for Haise's hands. He took them in his tightly, and squeezed softly. "You're having a panic attack, Haise. Come on, breathe with me. In and out."

Haise trembled. He fingers clenched Hide's own hands.

Haise was breathing fast. He was overcome with wave after wave of something unnatural. It made him feel so dizzy that he wondered if he was about to throw up. It wouldn't be the first time he had. He was worried his stomach would give out on him, and his head was echoing from the pounding of his heart. Pain was shooting through his veins and snapping at his legs.

He couldn't breathe!

The sound of skin snapping. Hide's eyes widened as a large pulsing, bright red tentacle ripped out of Haise's lower back. The tentacle flared about before twisting, and swiftly exploding into four of them. Each one flinging back and forth in the air.

Hide shook his head. He reached out to Haise and cupped his face with his hands. He noticed Haise's eyes had turned black and red.

"You're hyperventilating." Hide said worriedly.

Haise couldn't hear Hide. His head felt heavy, and his eyes was watering. Tears swelling up at the corners of his eyes.

"It's my fault!" Haise sobbed. "This happened because of me!"

Hide's eyebrows raised to his hairline. What did Haise mean it's his fault?

"K-Ken! Oni! Oni-chan!L-left me to take care of them, t-to take care of Shiro and look what has happened!" Haise gasped out. His jaw was slack and he couldn't catch his breath. "I-I failed. Shiro's hurt again and it's my fault! I c-couldn't protect him. I can't protect anybody!"

Hide bit his bottom lip. Realization slowly built up in his head. Haise was having a panic attack, he was hyperventilating over Shiro. He thought it was his fault because he was supposed to be the big brother, the 'father'. He was supposed to take care him.

"Haise. You can't blame yourself." Hide said softly. His thumbs rubbing along the soft skin of Haise's cheeks. "It's not your fault. Things happen Shiro, he's somewhere, and the only thing we can focus on now is how to help him."

Haise hiccupped deeply. "H-help him?" he said weakly. "I don't know how! I don't know, I don't know, I don't know but I should! I have to know, but I don't! How can I fix this? I need to! Everyone needs me to!"

Hide watched Haise for a few seconds. "Haise." He called out as Haise's eyes wondered off somewhere in his mind. "Haise. It's okay. Nobody is expecting you to be able to fix this by yourself. You need to calm down for me. We'll figure it out together."

"Together?" Haise suddenly said. "Y-ou y-you'll stay?"

Hide smiled. "Of course. We'll figure out how to help Shiro together. You and I." he said softly as he stroked Haise's cheeks. "All this time you've had so much pressure on you, you had to do everything by yourself, but I promise from now on, I'll be there to help you. You can lean on me now."

Haise let out a sob. He shook his head and leaned forward. Slowly, he had stopped shaking but his eyes was still wet and glassy. He meekly smiled as Hide brushed the tears away.

"There you go. You're calming down." Hide smiled. "You're doing so well. See we're both okay I'm sure Shiro will be okay too."

Haise closed his wet silver eyes. He leaned into Hide's hand, and whimpered softly. "How can you be so sure?" he whispered.

"I can't. But we can only hope." Hide said.

"Only hope" Haise repeated. "It might not be enough"

"It will be. We have to put faith into it." Hide said.

Haise inhaled softly. He opened his eyes, and stared at Hide. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Hide found his face darkening a little. He stared into Haise's red eyes, and gulped. His mouth suddenly dry. He slowly nodded his head. "Yes." He mumbled softly. His hands shook against Haise's soft cheeks.

He wanted to kissed him.

Hide found himself leaning forward. He pressed his lips to Haise's. Hide's eyes looked down at Haise's lips, and felt a coldish, but yet warm spark zip up his spin. Hide held Haise's face gently, and his heart was pounding loudly, it was echoing through his head.

Hide wondered what it would feel like to kiss Haise?

Haise kissed him.

Haise's lips shook a little. He kissed Hide back, and breathed in Hide's scent deeply. Hide against him, calming him and filling him up at the poles. Just for a second, a mere second, Haise choose to forget everything. Forget the world, and just spend the time with Hide. Right there. Right here. With Hide.

Hide pulled back. His cheeks red, and eyes widened. "I, what, why." He gabbed in surprise but his chest tightened with warmth.

"I-I'm sorry!" Haise gasped after he realized what he had done. "Oh god! I'm sorry! So sorry!"

Hide gaped. His hands dropped to his lap. "You...y-you kissed me" he said in surprised daze.

Haise had just kissed him! Now what does he do?

"I-I I I love Kuro" Hide mumbled to himself. But yet why did he feel so so no.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" Haise sobbed. Fat hot angry tears swelling up his eyes, and dripping down his cheeks. "I am so sorry Hide! I don't know what I'm thinking."

"Oh god. I'm so terrible." Haise sobbed.

Haise opened but then shut his mouth. He sank to his knees off the bed. He wrapped his arms around Hide waist, and buried his face into Hide's chest. He sniffled, as the tears returned. He sobbed into Hide's sweater.

"I'm an awful, awful person." Haise cried.

Hide's eyes softened. His heart was beating harshly in his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around Haise, and gently rubbed his hands in circle like motions.

"You're not." Hide said.

Haise cried harder. "But I am! I kissed my little brother's mate!" he sobbed.

Hide pressed his lips together. His lips tingled from the kiss. "B-but it doesn't mean anything Haise s-so it's okay. You're not terrible, or awful. Y-you're just freaking out" he said softly. He ran his fingers through the hair.

He didn't want Haise to be in so much pain. He didn't want him like this especially over a kiss. Just a silly little kiss just a kiss that meant nothing

"You're wrong!" Haise's muffled voice cried. He tightened his arms around Hide.

You're wrong!

Hide inhaled sharply. He looked down at Haise. You're wrong, that means...

~#~#~#~#~

The room was dark, as it always was, but homey.

There was a strong scent of coffee, as was expected. The room was quite big, with a polished oak desk and a dim lamp sitting on top of it. The walls had a strange greyish wallpaper that had dark flower patterns imprinted across it. There was a window, which was at this very moment, closed latched shut. The carpet used to be rich red colour but it had faded.

It was raining again. As it always seemed to rain. There was hardly ever any sun out.

Nothing less for Yoshimura's office. At the top of Anteiku's compound. The place to be where he can oversee the ruins of what once was Tokyo, without anybody else seeing him or the Ghouls he protected under his wing.

Yoshimura was old. Beyond his age, and he was beginning to worry for Anteiku as who will take care of it once he passes away? He certainly couldn't rely on his daughter. She was more unstable then anybody he knew.

Yoshimura placed his coffee cup down. His tired eyes shined at the young girl standing anxiously next to him.

"You're getting better Saiko-chan." He smiled wistfully.

The young, dark blue haired girl grinned. "Really?" she gasped out happily. "I've been working so hard! Tooru-kun has been teaching me as Maman been busy!"

Yoshimura placed a wrinkled hand onto her head. "I can taste it. You're getting much better at grinding the coffee beans too." He said with a wink.

"Thank you Yoshi-Jiji." Saiko bowed her head.

Yoshimura smiled. The children of Anteiku, all ages, were so precious and important. He watched as the young girl scrambled out of the office, pushing her coffee trolley as she went.

Saiko paused in the doorway, and the brightest smile appeared across her face. "Ken-Jiji!" she greeted the eldest Kaneki.

Yoshimura chuckled at the word. Saiko called everyone was older then Haise, her 'Mama' or 'Maman' grandpa. It was amusing to see Ken's expression at the word.

"Saiko-chan." Ken said with the bow of his head. His face flushed a little pink at being called grandpa.

"Look! Tooru-chan has been teaching me how to grind coffee beans!" Saiko chimed excitedly. "Do you want one? Yoshi-Jiji said I'm improving."

Ken looked down at the trolley thoughtfully. He put a hand to his chin and after a few seconds, he smiled. "Alright. Thank you Saiko-chan." He spoke softly.

Saiko beamed at him as she prepared the cup. She then eagerly held it up to him.

Ken bowed his head as he took it. He knew Saiko wouldn't leave until he tried it, so he bravely took a sip of it. "It is better, Saiko-chan." He said.

"Thank you!" Saiko grinned. She bowed her own head, and then went on her way. "Imma go see Hina-Oneesan and Aya-Oni! I'm sure they'll love it too!"

Ken waved as she disappeared down the corridor. He then peered back into the cup was holding with a troubled frown. He peered at Yoshimura and clicked his tongue. "Does she know the beans aren't fully ground?" he asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Probably not. At least she is improving it." Yoshimura chuckled.

Ken nodded. He put the coffee on the side of the desk. "We've got to talk about Shiro." He said.

Yoshimura nodded his head. "Yes. I thought that is the reason why you've came to see me." He said. "Haise was in this morning before he left to check on Kuro and Hide."

"I heard Hide's heat is over now." Yoshimura said absent minded. "I'm expecting Kuro any moment."

Ken nodded his head. He crossed his arms and locked eyes with Yoshimura. "Why didn't you inform me of Shiro's recon mission earlier?" he asked. No point in beating around the bush, straight to the point.

Yoshimura sighed. "I know most people do not, but I trust my daughter. Eto has never allowed anybody on her team down, never allowed them to get hurt. I expected they had decided to camp out in the ruins or have decided to explore one of the many catacombs around Tokyo. It would not be the first time." He said.

Ken stared. There was no other expression on his face but blankness. "I don't trust Eto. Why wasn't I made aware that Shiro was placed onto Eto's team from the beginning?"

"Shiro requested I did not inform you." Yoshimura said.

"What?" Ken frowned. His eyebrows pulled together. That didn't make sense to him.

Yoshimura put his fingers to the bridge of nose. "Shiro knew you would not approve of it. He knew you would prevent him from joining the team. We both know you would not rest until you was sure he would not be one the One Eyed Owl Team." He said. He threated his fingers together on top of his desk.

Ken frowned deeper. His eyes narrowed at the old man. "This is my little brother we're talking about Yoshimura. Not one of the thousands useless Ghouls you have running amuck in Anteiku. When I agreed to take on the role of one of your top informers, I expected you would keep my little brothers out of trouble. Not send one of them into death's claws." He hissed.

"Ken, please, I understand you are upset, but lashing out isn't going to bring Shiro back." Yoshimura said.

"Lashing out. Excuse me if I'm displeased with how you've been handling Anteiku." Ken snorted with a roll of his eyes. "It's just my little brother on the line."

Yoshimura shook his head. "Ken, please. You know that isn't what I meant. We're all trying here."

"Try harder!" a voice snapped.

Both Yoshimura and Ken turned to see Kuro pushing the door open. His face was pale, and eyes blown wide. His dark hair was a mess and it was obvious he had ran all the way to the top level.

"Kuro." Ken said. His eyes clued to his little brother.

Kuro walked straight up to Yoshimura's desk. His heart was pounding in his chest, making his head fell dizzy. "Where is my brother? Where is he!" he cried out. "Shiro said it was just a quick mission! That he'd be back with the new moon!"

The youngest of the Kaneki brothers frowned deeply. His hands were shaking in front of him, twitching.

"Kuro. It is a sensitive matter, and you are much too young." Yoshimura said softly but sternly. "Do not worry, we will get Shiro back."

Kuro stared at him before he spun around. He snapped his desperate sliver eyes up to Ken. "Ken! Oni-san. Shiro is my twin! I deserve to know! You owe me that much." He said. His eyes narrowing at his elder brother.

Ken closed his eyes for a few seconds. This was not how he wanted to talk to his brother, not with him so worried and scared to the point of threatening. He inhaled sharply, and after a few seconds, he stepped towards Kuro.

"Listen." He began softly. His voice becoming much gentler, as he spoke. "I know you want to help Shiro, but it wouldn't do him any good if you end up hurt. Imagine how he would feel if you, of all people, wound up hurt."

Kuro puffed out his cheeks. He didn't want to admit it, but Ken was right. He hated that Ken was right, he didn't want Ken to be right. He felt his eyes beginning to burn.

"But Shiro" Kuro tried to speak but his throat was closing up.

Ken closed the small distance between him and his baby brother. He knew it was rather tender between them, but he was still Kuro's big brother even if he hadn't been around much for the past few year. Ken had always made sure to read Kuro's letters, and then make sure to reply to them. Kuro was the only one who sent him letters, while Haise would venture out to meet up with him.

He wrapped his arms around Kuro. He hugged him, and patted Kuro on the back. He was expecting Kuro to pull away and push him off him, but instead Kuro hugged him back. Kuro stiffened underneath Ken's arms before relaxing, and finally hugging Ken back.

"What if Shiro's more then just hurt?" Kuro asked. His voice muffled against Ken's chest.

"You shouldn't think like that Kuro. I'm sure Shiro is alright." Ken said.

Kuro shook his head. He clenched the back of Ken's jacket. "How can you be sure? Remember last time? He wasn't alright at all not even now" he whimpered. "Shiro still has nightmares, he doesn't like to admit it, but I know he does."

The older Alpha peered at the younger, quietly. He frowned. "I know you're worried, Kuro. I'm worried about Shiro too, but we have to stay calm." He muttered. He thought about using his Alpha smell to help calm the destressed Ghoul, but Ken wasn't sure if it would help Kuro know he was older and mated.

Back when they were young, Ken was able to release an Alpha tranquilizing smell to make his younger brothers relax. It would always work, until they all grew up and developed their own Alpha glands. In ways Ken had develop an Omega overcast for his brothers. Not like the Omega shadow Kuro has though, not that Kuro had noticed it. Ken supposed he and Kuro were the only ones who had an Omega overcast, which meant they share that in similar regards.

He had to take on that role for the young children, which meant when he left, Haise probably had to try to fill in that role. It must have been difficult for him.

"Shiro's my brother. My twin." Kuro breathed out sharply. "I wasn't there for him the first time, when he needed me. I want to be there this time."

Ken shook his head at that. "Kuro. It's too dangerous-" he began.

"No! No!" Kuro growled. "You don't get to say that. Not to me at least. I'm going to find Shiro, with or without you."

Ken ran a hand stressfully through his hair. He stared his baby brother down. Kuro wasn't backing down. Ken could definitely make him, force him but it could really hurt Kuro. Probably destroy any morals he has left Ken couldn't do that to him. Not now. Not with Kuro finally becoming his own person, filling out into the Alpha he is. Into the Kaneki Alpha he is. It was about time, and overdue honestly.

But Shiro was gone, and Ken didn't know what he would do if Kuro disappeared like Shiro too. Ken would never forgive himself if Kuro got hurt, if Kuro diedif he lost both of them. If the Kaneki's lost their twins.

It would be his fault. Completely his fault.

"Kuro-kun." Yoshimura began. His wistful, but old voice cutting between the two brothers. "What about Hide-kun? Your newly made mate. Can you really leave him?"

Kuro jumped. He clearly looked like he had forgotten Yoshimura was in the room, which was embarrassing to say the least. Kuro's face flushed red, and his shoulders hunched up in thought.

"Hide" Kuro breathed out sharply.

Ken immediately turned away. He looked off to the side at the blonde Omega's name. He licked his chipped lips as against what he wanted, he was reminded what it tasted like for his mouth to be against Hide's throat. The soft skin underneath his lips, and delicious smell of Hide filling his poles.

"W-Why would I have to leave him?" Kuro asked shakily. His eyebrows pulling together.

Yoshimura sighed softly. He had said too much. He realized. "I know where Shiro is." He said, only to put a hand up when both Ken and Kuro stepped towards his desk with urgency. "Or where he had been. But the question still remains the same. Can you leave your newly bonded mate?"

"Hide." Kuro repeated. "I-I'm sure he'll understand."

Yoshimura tilted his head. "Are you sure about that? You two have just finished bonding together. He had just gone through a dry heat, and then a real heat. Are you sure he'll be alright with you running off?" he asked.

Yoshimura didn't mean to be cruel. But he agreed with Ken. It wouldn't help Shiro, if Kuro got hurt or worse kidnapped and killed. In fact it would ruin Shiro more then what he currently is. Besides, he was right on this. Hide was a newly bonded, and claimed Omega. It was unheard off a couple separating straight after mating. Not like this anyway.

Kuro bites his bottom lip. "Hide won't be alone. I meanT-Touka-chan and Yoriko-chan will be here. So will H-Hinami-chan they'll keep an eye on him for me." He mumbled. His hands shook at his sides as he spoke.

Could he really leave his mate? After mating for such a long period together?

Yoshimura frowned. "Do you think that is fair? Leaving the reasonability to another Alpha and Omega?" he questioned.

Kuro clenched his hands. He crushed his teeth together. "Shiro's my brother! I can't just sit here and do nothing!" he finally cried out. "I know I'm supposed to stay with Hide, I know we've just mated but Shiro Shiro's my other half too!"

"Where is Shiro? Yoshimura-san please. I need to know." Kuro whimpered desperately. "You don't understand. Shiro, I promised him. When he came back, I promised I wouldn't leave him behind again."

Ken placed his hand onto Kuro's shoulder. "You're not leaving him behind Kuro. We're just want you to stay safe." He said softly even thought it was clear by the way his eyes was narrowed, he wanted Yoshimura to just tell them where their brother was.

Speaking of brothers, where is Haise? Ken thought Haise would have turned up after Kuro, but their brother isn't anywhere in sight.

"I know!" Kuro groaned loudly. He rolled his eyes. "That is what everyone says. They just want me to be safe. You guys are always saying that to me. Always. I don't need to be safe, I just need to know where Shiro is and how to help him. If I have to leave to help him, I will!"

Ken stared at Kuro. He had to admit, at that moment, he could see himself in Kuro's face. "And Hide?" he said.

Kuro's eyes narrowed himself. He locked his lips into a thin line. "And Hide. My Hide. He'll just have to wait. I know he will understand. Hide isn't selfish or greedy. I know after an Alpha and an Omega had just mated, bonded, they're not supposed to be parted for at least a month, but I love Shiro. Hide knows I do, and if I tell him Shiro needs me, Hide will let me go." Kuro said confidently.

Ken felt impressed. He agreed. Deep inside him, he knew Hide would agree to it. He knew Hide wouldn't be spiteful or selfish enough to keep Kuro here if Kuro really wanted to go help Shiro. Oddly it made his chest tighten.

"I love Hide. I love him so much, and he loves me. He'll want me to bring Shiro back." Kuro stated.

Ken breathed in deeply. He rubbed the bridge of nose, and then sighed deeply because it was true. Kuro was absolutely right and Ken couldn't say no. Kuro was right. He couldn't push him away now. He had the power to force him to stay put, but he wouldn't.

"Yoshimura." Ken said. "Where is our brother?"

Yoshimura stared at the two Kaneki. The room was silent expect for the quiet pitter patter of the rain hitting the office window. The tension between the three Alphas was thick, and heavy. It was deep enough to be cut like a cake.

"I said I know where he was before, but not where he is right at this moment." Yoshimura finally said. "The mission I gave Eto wasn't a normal recon mission."

Ken's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by not a normal recon mission? Yoshimura, where have you sent my brother?" he hissed through clenched teeth.

"It was just supposed to be a simple mission. It was supposed to be a few weeks at most, just to see how it worked." Yoshimura sighed. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. They was supposed to be back by now."

Ken frowned even deeper then before. "Well they're not back are they. So I will repeat myself. Where is my brother? Where did you send Shiro?" He growled out.

Kuro looked between Ken and Yoshimura. He clicked his tongue, and suddenly his eyebrows pulled together. "Wait. Wait." He gasped out.

"You sent Shiro to De Hakoiri!" Kuro suddenly bellowed out. His brain clicking into something that made his face pale.

"That's what Shiro meant when he spoke to me before leaving." He said.

Ken clicked his tongue. "De Hakoiri. That's the human village Hide came from. Haise told me about it. You sent Shiro to scope out De Hakoiri." He grumbled. His silver eyes narrowing further as he brain quickly began to peace it together.

"The mission was simple. The One Eyed Owl was supposed to sit on the outside, and observe. To see how the humans work, and then report back. Make sure they aren't a threat to Anteiku." Yoshimura explained. "Only Noro never updated us, and then a month went by and you know the rest."

"So you sent my little brother to a hunting village? How can you expect nothing to go wrong?" Ken growled.

"Ken, I understand you are upset." Yoshimura said. "But The One Eyed Owl has done missions like this before. Shiro has been involved with missions such as this. I had full confidence in him that he would succeed.

Kuro clenched his hands. "But he hasn't! Has he?! He hasn't come back! This means we go to De Hakoiri and find him!" he cried.

Ken once again placed a hand onto Kuro shoulder to calm him down. Kuro immediately stumbled into Ken's side, breathing harshly and shaking with anger and worry. Ken pats him on the shoulder gently.

"We can't." he said. "De Hakoiri has a defence that can seriously hurt Ghouls."

Kuro frowned deeply. His eyebrows pulled together. "What kind of defence?" he asked.

Yoshimura looked over his desk. His eyes running over a stack of papers with a thin-line on his lips. "Well. Noro's last update was that De Hakoiri uses electric polls, nets and detectors. Apparently, these electric objects are enough to stun us so the hunters could use weapons created from our own Kagune's to kill us." He explained. "Humans work in groups. Easy to overwhelm us with numbers I suppose."

"Weapons made from our kagune." Ken snorted. He rolled his eyes. "How do they even get kagune? I thought Ghouls tended to stay way from villagers like that."

Yoshimura shook his head. His long old fingers tapped against the oak desk top. "I do not know. I was waiting on another update from Noro." He said.

Kuro bites his bottom lip. "T-Then maybe they've c-captured Shiro for his kagune?" he suggested meekly.

"Perhaps." Yoshimura sullenly agreed.

"You said that Tsukiyama-san was found. Maybe he could tell us?" Kuro suggested. His mind clicked, and he sheepishly scratched at his cheek. "Well Haise said"

Ken grimaced at the name. He sighed softly. "I suppose either way we have to go to De Hakoiri." He said with his hand on his chin. He was uncomfortable with this.

"Shuu-kun was found on the edge of the ruins. He was in a dreadful state. I believe he might not be up to shape with us integrating him. He was able to give us some information before fainting." Yoshimura explained. He ignored Ken, as he snorted and turned his attention from the smaller Alpha to the bigger Alpha. "Yes. It would seem that way."

"So, even ifTsukiyama-sandoes give us the intel we need, how would we get into De Hakoiri." Ken said. Most of his silver eyes was hidden by his hair. "If it is so heavily guarded against Ghouls."

Yoshimura sighed once more. He nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, that seems to be an a road block. It seems we may need a human to get through, or at least to bring down the defences."

"What human?" Ken asked slowly.

Because fair as Ken was aware there was only a hand full of humans in Anteiku. There was no way in this universe that girl, Touka, would allow them to bring Yoriko, and Kimi was of limits due to being one of the most important Doctors Anteiku had. There was Miko-san, who he didn't know well but heard she was found buried alive underneath a collapsed house. However she was much to young, and her legs were crushed. There was also Banjou, but that poor guy had three hungry young Ghouls to take care of. Ichimi, Jiro and Sante. Ken knew all about Banjou as Rize had chewed his ear off after their last visit, before the event with Hide.

There was Hide as well. Which would probably be the more logical option as he was originally from De Hakoiri, but the young man had just mated and would be very tender, sensitive to everything. He could break down at any given moment.

As much as it pains Ken admit, they wouldn't be able to rely on Hide as he is at the moment.

Besides, Ken also knew about his problem with barring. He wondered briefly if Hide had informed his baby brother, but he wasn't quite sure. Kuro's face was hard to read when he was upset.

"I thought back asking Banjou, but as you know Jiro-chan has recently presented her breed." Yoshimura said and smiled a little as he thought of the young Ghoul. "It seems she is following Tooru-kun in the breed aspect. However Jiro-chan presented as an Alpha, but feels more like she should be an Omega. I believe Tooru-kun is her adviser on this."

"I do not think it would be wise for Banjou to leave the triplets during this time. They need him greatly." Yoshimura added. "Considering both Ichimi, and Sante have presented as Alphas as well. It is a very complicated and sensitive matter."

Kuro crushed his lips together. "T-Then what human?" he asked.

"I'll do it." A voice said from the door way.

Kuro jumped in surprise, while Ken and Yoshimura didn't look fazed. Kuro spun around to the door, and puffed out his cheeks. His eyes widened, and he gapped a little.

"H-Hide?" he squealed.

The Omega human sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he stepped into the room. Haise slowly trialling behind him. Hide's face had reddish sploshes across it, and his eyes was a little red rimmed. He had black bags underneath his eyes, and it was obvious he was tired.

"I-I mean it would make more sense if I went." Hide said. "I come from D-De Hakoiri."

Kuro spun towards him and grabbed Hide by his hands. "No Hide! You can't. You need to stay here." He said. His cheeks flushed as he heard his own words and realized the irony of them, but what else could he do?

"You're being a hypocritic, Kuro." Hide frowned. "I, we heard the whole conversation. Of course I would let you go to find your brother, but I think I can really help. Like Yoshimura-san was saying, you need a human to go in and lower the defences. It would have to be me, because no other human would know how to get around the village like I can."

"B-But we don't even know if Shiro is in De Hakoiri." Kuro pouted.

Hide smiled. "Well, where else would he be? He would have to be, um, captured or something, right? And trust me, we don't want to leave him in De Hakoiri if Yoshimura-san is right" he said before he grimaced at the thought.

Ken ripped his eyes from Hide. He turned to look at his other brother as Haise stepped up to his side. He could tell automatically when Haise has been crying. His chest twitched and tightened with guilt, as it was clearly his fault. He stepped towards Haise and put a protective arm around the shorter Alpha's shoulders.

Haise stiffened before he relaxed. He leant into his brothers arm, and frowned. "Is Shiro really captured? Is that what Shuu-kun said?" he questioned quietly.

Yoshimura shook his head. "Shuu-kun said that they had been ambushed on their way back from De Hakoiri. It was all he could say before he fainted. When asked about Shiro, and Eto, and the others, all Shuu-kun could get out was 'gone' before he went under. So we're assuming the worse to be prepared." He said.

Hide stared at Yoshimura in silence. He could feel the thick tension filling the air from the others. It almost made him feel light headed.

"Who is Shuu-san?" Hide asked quietly.

Haise, the one standing directly next to him, placed a gentle hand onto his shoulder. "Hewell he is an unusual person" he trailed off with a small wince.

"Unusual?" Kuro snorted loudly. "Tsukiyama-san is vile."

Yoshimura shook his head. "He has came a long way Kuro-kun. Perhaps you are being to harsh on the poor boy." He said.

Kuro grumbled deeply. His grey eyes darkened and crossed his arms over his chest. "A Leopard can't change their spots and neither can that Omega." He almost sneered.

Hide shuddered. He blinked once and then twice. He automatically found himself moving closer to Kuro, as if to calm his upset Alpha. Hide wasn't aware he had even made an Omega whine as he stepped towards Kuro.

"Oh. Sorry." Kuro blushed. He smiled meekly at Hide.

Ken tried to ignore the short sunshine Omega, and looked at Haise. "Tsukiyama Shuu? As in the strange purple haired Omega?" he asked with an eyebrow raised at the thought of the kid.

"He is a part of Eto's team?"

Haise nodded his head. "Yeah. He isn't the small stick boned boy anymore. After Eto got her claws into him, she made him train to death and now he's one of our best." He explained.

Kuro snorted loudly.

"You don't like him Kuro? I thought he was a friend of Shiro and you?" Ken asked.

Kuro glared up at Ken. He growled. "No." he hissed.

Ken frowned. He knew Kuro wasn't happy with him after marking Hide, but surely he wasn't taking it out on the purple haired Omega?

"Kuro?" Hide piped up softly.

Hide was so confused. Surely this other Omega wasn't that bad. Truthfully Hide wanted to meet Shuu. He had not met a Ghoul Omega before. Yoriko and Kimi was both human Omegas. Hide was curious to see what a Ghoul Omega was like.

"Tsukiyama-san isn't a good guy." Kuro pouted.

Hide frowned. "What did he do?" he asked.

Kuro looked at Hide. He sighed softly and shook his head. He didn't want to talk about it right now, however he did grab Hide's hand tightly.

"Maybe we should go talk to him?" Hide suggested almost weakly. Especially when Kuro tightened his grip on his hand.

Yoshimura hummed thoughtfully. "That might be a good idea Hide-kun." He said.

Kuro shook his head furiously. "What? Why!" he gapped loudly.

"It might be a good idea. Is Tsukiyama-san awake?" Ken asked.

"He should be but if he isn't then we can see him in the morning?" Yoshimura offered.

Kuro grumbled. "We can't wait that long, Shiro needs us now!" he said.

Yoshimura held his hands out. "Kuro-kun. Please calm down, we understand the urgency but we also has to think things through. Shuu-kun will have more information for us to go off on." He explained with a comforting smile on his old winkled face.

"We need to get all the facts before go." Ken added. "Trust me Kuro. I want to save Shiro just as much, but we can't go in guns blazing and end up having our heads sapped off. We also need to debrief Hide to find out just what are we going up against."

Kuro opened his mouth to protest as after all Shiro was his twin brother. It was only when Hide placed his free hand onto their held hands did Kuro nod his head. His eyes tearing up from devastation.

"Okay" he let out in a broken voice.

"Kuro. We will save Shiro. You just have to trust me." Ken said. He placed a hand onto Kuro's shoulder. "We just need to be smart."

Kuro sniffed deeply. He reached up and rubbed his watery eyes.

"So what should we do in the mean time?" Hide asked. He rubbed Kuro on the back gently. "If we're going to see Tsukiyama-san in the morning."

Yoshimura looked at Hide. His eyes then slide across the Kaneki brothers. "I think we should all calm down, and rest. We will pick this up tomorrow." He said softly.

Everyone reluctantly nodded their heads and exited the office.

On the way out, Hide looked over his shoulder to find Yoshimura dropping his head into hands. The old man let out a low sound which was almost like a sob, Hide wasn't sure. He saw Yoshimura's shoulders drop.

"Poor Yoshimura-san." Haise sighed as he closed the door. "It must be tough for him too."

Hide blinked. He looked up at Haise with a small pout.

"Eto is Yoshimura-san's daughter." Kuro explained quietly.

Hide's eyes widened. The scary green haired girl was Yoshimura's daughter? But they're so different!

He took a step forward, only for his legs to suddenly buckle. Hide let out a startled yelp as they practically became jelly and sent him downward. However an arm caught him before he could fall to the ground. He was caught with a soft grunt.

"Hide are you alright?" Ken asked softly.

Kuro gasped. He stumbled up to Hide. "I'm so sorry Hide! This is my fault. I shouldn't have run off and made you come all this way! Not when we've just mated." He grimaced and bites his bottom lip.

"It's okay Kuro." Hide smiled before frowning as he peered down at his shaking legs. "My legs feel funny"

Hide felt strange over all. He has felt strange since he woke up from mating. His body felt tender and raw, especially along his stomach. Hide had looked during the shower earlier on. He had a scar now. A long swirl, red scar from Jason.

He is kind of surprised the wound had no re-opened during the activities. He was still healing when he went into heat.

Even now, Hide felt the familiar sprinkle of sensitive something. It wasn't pain, but it was uncomfortable. Either way Hide would take this over being in unmovable pain any day.

"It's normal." Haise explained softly. "Mated pairs, Omegas and Alphas alike are sensitive after mating but I think the recovering from the wound is also a factor here."

Hide smiled at Haise. "Ah. Well that makes a lot of sense I guess. I've felt, well, tender since I woke up." He sheepishly laughed.

"Since you woke up?" Kuro gasped. "Why didn't you say anything? You really shouldn't be moving!"

"But I'm fine." Hide hummed. "I just feel like I've ran a marathon."

Suddenly the world spun as Hide found himself being lifted from the ground. Ken picked him up effortlessly and held him bridal style.

"Oh. Whoa." Hide mumbled quietly. "Whoa. You are really buff, huh?"

Ken closed his eyes with a deep sigh. As if he couldn't believe he was drawn to this guy.

Hide hummed with a soft sheepish laugh. "Sorry." He grinned. "Did that embarrass you?"

Ken felt his cheeks darkened. He glared at his younger brothers as they snickered at him. He had the right mind to just drop Hide right then if he kept poking at him, but he didn't. He wasn't that mean maybe.

However the embarrassment went from Ken to Hide. Some between a grumble and growl filled the air loudly and Hide's face burned a bright red.

"I guess I'm hungry" Hide mumbled softly.

Ken smirked widely. "Reasonable, you probably didn't eat much in the past two weeks from being overstimulation." He said with a deep voice.

Kuro chocked. His cheeks burning, and he looked away while he chewed his bottom lip.

"And I enjoyed every moment of it." Hide grinned with his head laying against Ken's shoulder.

Hide's words only embarrassed poor Kuro further.

"But yeah, I'm really starving here." Hide smiled.

Haise licked his dry lips. He then looked at Kuro, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "You need to eat too." He said seriously.

Automatically the colour in Kuro's face melted away. He frowned and looked down at his feet. He nodded with a soft 'hmm'.

"Ghouls eat human flesh, right?" Hide piped up. "That was what was in the bowl!"

He tried to look at Kuro, but he couldn't move much from the restrictions Ken had him on.

Hide perched his lips thoughtfully. "How do you guys get human meat? I mean I've only seen two other humans here" he asked.

They entered the familiar room of Kuro and Hide's room. Ken carefully played Hide onto the bed, and stepped back.

"We have pacts with other human villages. You know there are some bad ghouls out there? Well a big part of Anteiku's packs to these villages is that in return for protection and supplies gathering, they send us already passed away people." Ken explained. "People die from natural causes, illness and sometimes suicide."

Kuro shifted on the balls of his feet. "Anteiku has this rule of not attacking any human if we can help it. Yoshimura-san thinks we can all live peacefully this way though, as you have seen there are some out there that don't exactly agree with that. Jason De Hakoiri is just one of the many human villages that don't see us as anything but monsters." He winced as he spoke.

"How many villages are there?" Hide asked.

"There is one in the ruins of Tokyo, several outside the ruins and many more further way. Anteiku is one of the biggest Ghoul villages, while there are Ghouls scattered about." Ken explained.

Hide hummed to himself. It seemed the world outside De Hakoiri was much bigger then he could have ever thought. He felt a little overwhelmed with it, or was it because he was hungry? Tired? He wasn't sure.

He sighed softly. As he rested against the pillows, his macules unwinding and it sending a tender ache through him. Maybe he really had been pushing himself too much? His body had been through a lot, having been attacked, a slow recovery and then mating it was only natural he would feel the effects of that.

It was a wonder that Hide had been able to walk so well.

Hide's eyes slid open. He tried to ignore the nagging fact of returning to De Hakoiri and seeing his family, seeing Akira and Amon after so much time. He tried to ignore the fact Akira and Amon must be beyond themselves with worry.

Instead another thought surfaced.

Hide looked at the Kaneki's brothers. They was all standing around almost awkwardly.

"You bit me." Hide suddenly said.

Ken shuddered a little with a deep grunt. His eyes widened before he shook his head.

"I did." Ken stated.

Poor Kuro tried not to look bothered by the words, but he did. He looked nervously between Ken and Hide. He was unsure of what to say especially as for the first time he had seen Hide, his sunshine mate had a serious and sullen expression on his face.

"Why?" Hide asked. "I was already marked, right? I don't know how it is for Ghouls, but for Humans it shouldn't be possible for an Omega to be claimed twice at the same time."

Ken sighed. He rubbed the back of his neck, and he even looked a little sheepish. "You went into heat, without being claimed. You would have set of thousands of unclaimed Ghoul Alphas. I did not have time to get Kuro before an Alpha attack you. It was the only option I had. I did not want to you to be forced." He explained seriously.

Hide bites his bottom lip. "So I'm assuming you marking me made my smell subside?" he asked.

"Yes. It's a bit complicated to explain maybe after you've rested I can explain it to you." Ken said.

Hide nodded. "Either way you saved me from being, er, raped. So thank you for that." He mumbled in a shy, soft voice.

Ken blinked almost like he had not been expecting Hide to thank him. His cheeks turned a pale pink, and he nodded silently to him.

"So, what happens now? I mean" Hide trailed off with a wince. Did this mean he had two mates or something.

Kuro inhaled sharply. He smiled, and climbed onto the spot next to him. He took Hide's hand, and brushed the soft skin. "It depends on you. It's completely up to you! There is a way to remove the mark but-but it's very painful and sometimes it can end awfully..." he whispered and let out a soft whimper as he spoke the last word.

Awfully...Hide got the picture. It could end up in death.

"We don't want you to go through that, but it's completely your decision." Ken added quietly.

Kuro tightened his hands around Hide. "I-I I don't like it b-but I'm, I mean we're we're willing to s-share if you want to try with-with the two of us." He said in a shaky voice.

Hide's eyes widened. "Share? W-What?" he squealed.

"I love you Hide." Kuro said sternly before whimpering. He shook his head a little. "And Ken well, I think K-Ken likes you too."

Hide blinked furiously. He looked up at Ken. He was a little unsure by it all.

Ken shifted awkwardly on his feet. He peered down at Hide almost nervously. Ken pushed his hands into his pockets.

"I, er, I do like you" Ken said slowly.

Hide blinked once again. He opened his mouth but then shut it.

What does this mean? What are they even suggesting?

"I think we should let Hide think things over you guys don't want to overwhelm him, right?" Haise offered quietly from the doorway.

Hide turned his head over to the mismatched Kaneki man. Immediately his heart skipped a beat and began to race. His eyes dropped to Haise's lips and his cheeks darkened as he remembered he had kissed Haise.

He had kissed Haise because he wanted too

Then guilt filled him. He had to tell Kuro, he couldn't keep it from him. Hide loved Kuro so much, it wasn't fair if he kept this from himespecially after everything Kuro is doing for him.

Doing for him right now with Ken

"Haise is right. I think Hide's had a rough enough day as it is." Ken said. "You should think about it"

Kuro nodded in agreement. He pressed his lips together, and shifted closer to Hide's side. He swiftly kisses Hide on the cheek before he climbed off the bedside.

"I'll go get you something to eat then. Hide wait here, I mean it! Don't go snooping around for once." Kuro pouted.

Hide smiled. "Alright, alright." He said.

With that the Ghouls all exited the room. However Kuro made sure to close the door this time. As soon as the door closed, Hide ran his hands down his face with a soft groan.

"What have I done?" he whispered.

Haise.

Hide could only imagine what the man must be feeling. Haise adored his little brothers, and now Hide has kissed him because he was a moron. Because Hide wanted to kiss him and had got caught up.

Hide should only want to kiss Kuro! What's wrong with him?

He could feel his eyes burning. Becoming hot with tears. He wanted to cry. He was just making it worse.

Hide tried to push the thoughts away but they kept coming.

Suddenly the door opened. Kuro re-appeared. However unlike before he left, he looked a little skittish. He held a tray with two bowels on it.

"I'm back." He said with a tiny smile.

Hide sniffed. "W-welcome back." He breathed out wetly.

Kuro's eyebrows raised to his hairline. He quickly placed the tray down and rushed to Hide. "What's wrong? Why are you crying? Are you in pain?" he gasped.

"Or is it.." he trailed off softly.

Hide hiccupped. He rubbed his eyes. "I'm making such a mess of things." Hide said.

Kuro shook his head. He moved to sit next to him, and placed an arm around Hide's shoulders. He then laid the two of them down onto the pillows. He gently ran his hand along Hide's cheek before he rested his hand against his bite mark on Hide's neck.

"No you're not." Kuro said. "I'm a difficult Alpha, my whole family is pretty messed up. It's not you, it's us. We I guess you could say we're still childish in some ways."

Hide opened his mouth, and let a soft cry. "You don't understand I've done something bad." He said.

"I'm so sorry Kuro." Hide whimpered.

"Ah. You're talking about kissing Haise." Kuro said.

Hide froze. His heart stopped in his chest and his eyes widened. He stared at Kuro.

Kuro smiled meekly. "Haise told me Hide. It's okay." He said softly. "I won't lie, I'm jealous and a little hurt but I left you alone after mating, of course you would look for comfort somewhere"

"No." Hide groaned. "No. There's no excuse for what I did. I'm sorry Kuro. I shouldn't have done it."

"I'm just really sorry." Hide whimpered.

Kuro sighed. "Hide it's okay. I forgive you." he said firmly.

Hide sat up. He winced as his body cried to lay back down but he ignored it. "How can you say that? Kuro I don't deserve your forgiveness. I kissed your brother. How can you be okay with that? You should be angry." He gasped out.

"You should h-hate me." Hide sobbed. His eyes blurring further and tears rolling over his cheeks.

Kuro sat up as well. He shook his head, and took Hide's shaky hands. "Hide. Listen to me. You don't understand. Haise he's everything to me. He did so much for me and Shiro, so I just can't find it in myself to feel angry about it. I kind of was expecting something like this to happen" he admitted with a small smile.

"Haise, he's been through so much. He even feed himself to me and Shiro when we was young. That's why I forgive you and him" he said.

Kuro looked off to the side. "Ken on the other handis a different story. It's hard to explain" he winced.

Hide wrapped his arms around Kuro's neck. He buried his face into his shoulder, and whined softly.

"But it's something unforgivable." Hide mumbled. "I'm such an idiot."

Kuro wrapped his own arms tightly around Hide. He rubbed his hand along Hide's back, and cupped the back of his head.

"Hey. Hide." Kuro smiled. "Tell me about De Hakoiri."

Hide sniffed. He peered at Kuro's face. "It's dark and lonely. It isn't a nice place Kuro." He explained quietly.

The two fell back to the bed. Hide pressed against Kuro, and just breathed in his scent. Kuro's smell. Everything to do with Kuro.

"Are you scared?" Kuro asked.

Hide's lips twitched. His bottom lip quivered. "Yes my family wanted to sell me off because I was a failure. Omegas in De Hakoiri are treated as nothing but breeders. They're not allowed to do anything" he explained with a wince. "It's an awful place. The opposite to Anteiku."

"I guess I was somewhat lucky I had Akira and Amon. They were like my real family." Hide smiled weakly. "Akira she was basically the only person who cared for me she was like my mother in many ways."

Kuro blinked. "Akira and Amon? Are they like together?" he asked.

"Yeah. They mated a few years before I left." Hide said. "They love each other greatly. Akira is a beta and Amon is an Alpha. They had a bit discrimination against them for it, but they eventually won the village over as they was two of the best hunter De Hakoiri had"

"They're hunters?" Kuro gasped.

Hide sniffed. His face was still pasty and his eyes ached a little. "Do you think it's ridiculous that I wanted to be hunter because I wanted to learn more about Ghouls?" he said.

"That sounds like you." Kuro snorted. He shifted closer and pressed their foreheads together. "It's not ridiculous at all."

Hide smiled meekly.

He wondered what tomorrow will bring


End file.
